


Even Tour Guides Get Lost

by GwendolynGreene



Category: Jurassic World (2015)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Bad Decisions, Bad Jokes, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Owen, Raptor Squad, Raptors, Tags May Change, to smut or not to smut, tour guide AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-04-26 07:21:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 21,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4995391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GwendolynGreene/pseuds/GwendolynGreene
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <img/>
</p>
<p>Claire Dearing is working at the wildly successful Jurassic World as a Tour Guide. She likes her job. She really does. It's just that some days are better than others. Sometimes her group can be rowdy. Sometimes her group can be miserable. But today? The group is excited and upbeat. Today might actually be a good day.</p>
<p>That is, until a man by the name of Owen Grady joins her group at the last minute. And Mr. Grady's presence promises to make Claire's day as disastrous as possible...</p>
<p>_________</p>
<p>Tour Guide AU! Featuring Claire as a Tour Guide who has to deal with Owen's rambunctious attitude during the downfall of the park and the escape of the Indominus Rex. With no one else available to help, Claire and Owen join forces and set out into the jungle to rescue two young boys from the tour who went missing on the Gyrosphere. (Hint hint Zach and Gray)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome Building

“Hello! My name is Claire and I’ll be your tour guide today.” Claire stands in the elevator, hands idly smoothing the material of her skirt. “Hello! My name is Claire and I’ll be your tour guide today.” She says more cheerfully. She clears her throat. “Hello! My name is Claire. My name is Claire. Claire. Claaaire.” The elevator door opens to the main level of the Guest Services building. She smiles, this early in the day mostly genuine, and walks towards the signs marked TOURS.

There’s a small gathering there, maybe eight people in all. She’s certainly seen worse. No one is crying, no one is complaining loudly about the heat, no one is visibly drunk, none of the kids are diaper age, and the oldest person in the group uses only a cane. She can do this. She does a mental head count for her own reference.

_Four adults, four children._

Her heels click off of the hard surface as she moves. They’re silly things, part of the uniform. The tour doesn’t take Claire anywhere that’s unpaved, so she’s never had any problems. It’s the hat that bothers her. The white pencil skirt? That she can deal with. The tight vest over the low-cut shirt? No problem. The cheap name tag that falls off every other week? Annoying at best. But the hat?

She hates the hat. She loathes it with every fibre of her being. It takes a dozen pins just to keep it in place on top of her head and still manages to shift around during the day. In the almost ten years she’s worked here it’s the one thing that’s never changed in her uniform. It’s bright red and sits on top of her ginger hair like a beacon. She’s given up on fighting it and just matches her lipstick to it to tie it in. The uniform is white and blue. Everyone’s uniform is white and blue. But the hat? Bright. Fucking. Red.

No one else wears the hat. Not ticket sales, not food service, not even the male tour guides. She’s brought it up with management who knows how many times and they’ve never done anything about it. Every time she thinks about it she burns with rage, just like now. The only thing on her mind as she approaches today’s tour party is how much she _hates_ the hat.

“Hello! My name is Claire and I’ll be your tour guide today. Does everyone have their pass?” She asks through her smile. The members of the group who hadn’t seen her walk up turn to her, holding up their blue lanyards. “Great! Remember to keep those on you at all times. They give you access to our exclusive tour buses, a hands-on look at animal care and feeding, and at the conclusion of our tour, advance passes to ride the Gyrosphere! Is everyone ready?” She holds her hands out to her sides, just as she was trained. Some members of the tour answer yes, some give her thumbs up. Everyone’s enthusiastic and ready to go. Today might not actually be horrible.

“Wait!” A voice calls out from across the room. A young man rushes forward, fishing one hand through his pocket. “Wait up!” He finishes digging, producing his own blue lanyard and placing it around his neck. Claire squints at it. It has today’s date on it and everything. Claire smiles again.

“Glad you could join us. Is everyone else ready?” Claire asks again. It’s rhetorical this time; she’s already turning away, about to ask everyone to follow her. 

_Five adults, four children._

“Looks like I lucked out. Wouldn’t want to miss a tour with you. What did you say your name was?” The new addition asks. Claire turns back to see the slick smile spread across his face. He’s got his thumbs stuck into his front pockets, t-shirt hanging loose off of his frame, and U.S. Navy hat pulled low over his head.

“Claire.” she answers. The man winks at her.

“Owen. Owen Grady. Glad to meet ya’.”

It’s not the wink. It’s not the suggestive way he says that, or the serious eye-fucking he’s doing to her right at this moment that’s unnerving Claire. She’s had creepy old men stare at her too many times to count. It’s the queasy feeling he causes in her gut. _This guy is going to be a giant pain in my ass today._

Claire hides her grimace. “Likewise.” She turns. Her group follows.

_Four adults, five children._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So consider this just a sneak-peak...
> 
> There's lots more to come, including but not limited to: Claire trying desperately not to stare at Owen's crotch, Owen scaring the crap out of Claire, Claire coming up with more amusing ways to shut Owen down, and Owen being a disruptive little shit at the Gyrosphere.
> 
> Visit my [Tumblr](http://www.gwendolyngreene.tumblr.com) for all of my posted works.
> 
> -GG


	2. Tour Bus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tour party loads onto the bus and Claire gets her first good look at them. Unfortunately, she also gets her first good look at Mr. Grady's crotch, thank you very much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go again, this time featuring all of Claire's colourful names for the members of her party! Thanks for reading.
> 
> -GG

The group is all loaded onto the tour bus and Claire takes her first good look at them. There’s an older gentleman seated at the front, wooden cane across his lap. His straw hat is pulled low over his face and Claire suspects he may be sleeping. Another man sits beside him, a few decades younger, holding onto his arm. The two men are wearing similar Hawaiian shirts and both sport impressive moustaches. Behind them, a woman with shoulder length brown hair and a camera around her neck wrestles with a boy around eight wearing a T-Rex hat. He appears to be trying to bite off her arm. Across the aisle a blonde woman eagerly sips from an unreasonably large souvenir cup. The teenage girl beside her gazes distractedly out the window, leaning her elbow on the backpack in her lap. In front of them are two more boys – the older one sits slumped over his phone, endlessly scrolling through whatever is on his screen, while the younger has a guide book, a park map, and a dinosaur handbook all open on his lap. They look like they could be brothers.

Lastly, taking up the entire back seat on his own, legs spread wide, is Mr. Grady. He’s stretched both of his arms across the back of the bench, forcing him to sit dead centre in the aisle in order for his large build to fit across the bus. This gives Claire the unfortunate choice of staring at Mr. Grady’s crotch the entire ride or not looking at the back of the bus at all. That means not being able to keep a proper eye on Camera Mom, Unruly T-Rex Boy, Daydreaming Teenager, or Souvenir Cup Lady. Still, she chooses the latter.

The bus rumbles to life underneath her. She shares a quick look with the driver, signaling that they’re ready to take off.

“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, before we take off get a good look around at Main Street. Here is where you’ll find all of our 20 restaurants, including our famous Winston’s Steakhouse.” Even from the corner of her eye, Claire can see that other than Sleeping Grandpa, the only one not looking out the windows is Mr. Grady. His eyes seem to be locked onto her. “Make sure to try the Chilean Sea Bass. That’s one meal you’ll never forget.”

It’s bullshit. Claire has no idea what the Chilean Sea Bass is like. But everyone is supposed to tout it, so she repeats the same thing to every tour group she has. Some people thank her for the recommendation. Some people say nothing but make a mental note to try it later. Some never try it at all. But clearly, Mr. Grady is in a whole new category of his own.

“Sea Bass, huh?” Mr. Grady smirked from the back of the bus. Claire tries to avoid looking at him, but she can feel his eyes on her again. His eyes and every other set of eyes on the bus. It would simply be rude. So she peels her eyes from the window, fake smile still plastered on her face, and stares him right in the face.

_Don’t look down._

“I’m more of a red meat guy. You know…big, thick slabs of meat.” Now that he has her attention, Mr. Grady is flexing his leg muscles, readjusting and stretching somehow impossibly wider.

_Don’t look down._

“What about you, Claire? You look the kind of lady who would enjoy a big, juicy steak.” He deliberately slows down, enunciating each syllable. As he finishes, he brings his teeth to press ever so slightly on his lower lip. On the right, Daydreaming Teenager lets out a small giggle.

_Don’t look down!_

Claire very loudly clears her throat. “Yes. Well. Mr. Grady, you seem to think bigger the steak, the better. For you I would recommend the Winston’s Choice Cut, or even the prized Porterhouse. Those _Jurassic_ sized steaks should be enough to fulfill your _insatiable_ appetite.”

Mr. Grady says nothing else but the fire behind his eyes seems to only glow brighter. At least now he’s silent. Moustache Dad in the front row is trying to stifle his laugh so much he’s shaking enough to rouse Sleeping Grandpa. Claire carries on with her tour.

“As we head down Main Street, you will also see many shops where you can find replicas of some of our park’s most famous creatures. Take for example our Stegosaurus. Does anyone know where in the park you can find these dinosaurs?”

Guidebook Boy in the front row shoots his hand into the air. Claire nods to him, indicating he can answer. “Cretaceous Cruise!” He calls out.

“Very good! Who knows what kind of diet the Stegosaurus has?” Guidebook Boy is the first to raise his hand again.

“They’re herbivores, which means they only eat plants.”

“That’s right! And the Stegosaurus is known mostly for what feature on its body?” As predicted, Guidebook Boy’s hand is the first to go up. This time, though, she doesn’t let him answer straight away. “Anyone?” She looks around the bus, skipping over Mr. Grady, before her eyes land on the boy again.

“The Stegosaurus has two rows of bony plates going from the neck down the back, seventeen in total, as well as a set of spikes on the end of their flexible tail for use as protection from predators. They lived 150 million years ago in North America, which puts them in the late Jurassic Period. They were quadrupeds, which means they walked on all four legs, and could grow up to 8.5 meters long and weighed in at upwards of 5,000 kilograms.” The boy completes his entire monologue using only a single breath without looking down at his books even once. The rest of the bus is silent. Claire is flabbergasted. She readjusts where she stands, for lack of a better response to what the boy, who looks no older than eleven, just recited.

“That was- wow. That’s all correct. At least I think it is. Congrats, kid. You could put me out of a job.” Claire jokes, and she gets some breathy laughs from some of the other guests. The boy smiles to himself, sitting himself back down properly in his seat. Beside him, Cell Phone Kid rolls his eyes and returns to stare at his phone. Claire notices that they’re the only two people on the bus to be wearing the blue VIP wristbands. “Oh! Before I forget, if you require any medical assistance during your stay, whether it be a splinter or a scraped knee, feel free to visit the First Aid station on your left. Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, we’re headed toward the Innovation Centre, where we house the Hammond Creation Lab, so sit tight and we’ll be making our first stop shortly.”

For a moment Claire thinks the worst she has to deal with now is Guidebook Boy stealing her thunder.

That was mistake number one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know there is an insanely detailed website created for the park itself?  
> www.jurassicworld.com
> 
> That is where I pulled all of the dinosaur information from, and how I plotted the tour's route through the park.
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me on this even though it's not getting updated as frequently as I hoped. I'll try to get more done moving forward. Again, thanks for reading. Kudos is always appreciated.
> 
> Next stop, the Innovation Centre!
> 
> Visit my [Tumblr](http://www.gwendolyngreene.tumblr.com) for all of my posted works.
> 
> -GG


	3. Innovation Building

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the Innovation Building, Claire lets herself get distracted and very quickly regrets it when Owen sneaks up on her. Now he's not just an annoyance, Claire's job is at risk if she can't keep him in line.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thanks to everyone reading! Enjoy!

Mistake number two was letting Mr. Grady out of her sight. There are a number of distractions in the Innovation building. Part of Claire’s job is to keep everyone’s attention on her to avoid any unnecessary delays but only so much can be done when out of nowhere a holographic T-Rex appears in the centre of the room. Once that happened, the collective attention span or her tour dropped like Dino dung.

Claire finished her speech and off they all wandered, given time to roam and read and interact. Other than keeping tabs on all of them to ensure no one goes wandering off, the Tour Guides don’t have to do much here. In fact most guides see the Innovation building as a sort of break. They don’t have to talk, or lead anyone around. Occasionally they will have to answer a question or two, but it’s much more independent than other locations on the island. After giving her brief walk about, it’s all theirs.

Unruly T-Rex boy is currently making faces at the holographic monster. Moustache Dad and Sleeping Grandpa are standing off to the side while Camera Mom captures shot after shot. Claire monitors them for a moment before scanning for her other tour members. 

Souvenir Cup Lady is idly staring at the infographics along the back wall. Daydreaming Teenager is blushing a bright red as she pretends not to notice Cell Phone Kid staring at her. Guidebook Boy is standing at the DNA station, answering each trivia question in quick succession. All his answers are correct. Claire decides to take reprieve and join him.

“Wow, kid. You really know your stuff.” Claire says as she walks up behind the Boy. He turns around and smiles a little when he hears her. “What’s your favourite dinosaur?”

The boy opens his mouth, but he says nothing. In fact he takes an awfully long time to say anything at all. His face is actually frozen in thought and Claire is concerned for a moment. But then his eyes focus on something behind Claire and he finally answers. “Velociraptors.”

Claire turns her head. Behind her, at the holopad, is a snarling velociraptor. It takes Unruly T-Rex Boy by surprise and he screams and jumps back. He knocks into Moustache Dad who’s guffawing loudly while Camera Mom snaps away at the scene on her camera. Claire can’t help but smile at the sheer look of horror on the boy’s face.

“Well, I’m sorry to say the park’s velociraptors aren’t yet trained for public viewing.” Claire says to Guidebook Boy.

“I know. That’s why I like them.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Because they’re dangerous.” The boy looks directly into Claire’s eyes. “You’ve got a Mosasaurus in a tank, A T-Rex in an arena, and two different kinds of flying carnivores in a bird cage; all open to public viewing. But you won’t even let anyone near the Velociraptors. That’s how dangerous they are.”

Whoa. Of all the things she might have expected to come out of the Boy that most definitely wasn’t one of them. And he’s what, eleven?

“I like how this kid thinks.”

Claire is surprised at the new voice. She turns, but realizes too late that it’s not a new voice at all. It’s Mr. Grady. He’s got his hands stuck in his pockets again and his eyes drift from Guidebook Boy up to Claire.

“And he makes some pretty good points. The Mosasaurus tank is, what, ten feet from the railing on Main Street? How do you know it’s not going to jump out of the tank and just-” Mr. Grady very suddenly claps his hands together in front of Claire’s face, making her jump back. “Snap?” He finishes.

“Mr. Grady,” Claire starts.

“Please. Call me Owen.” He winks at her.

“Mr. Grady, I assure you that if it were even a remote possibility that our engineers would have built the tank further away from the road. Or built higher walls. We have the best safety standards of any park in the world. We’ve spared no expense when it comes to your safety.”

He nods at her, as if saying _Yeah, sure._

“And then what are you gonna do? I don’t know if you could really treat a Mosasaurus bite.” He’s got that cocky expression back on his face. “You guys got band-aids big enough?”

Oh. Great. Not only is Mr. Grady being insufferable but now he’s actually on track to get Claire fired. It’s happened before. Day one of training, they drill into every employee the importance of safety; they give an overview of the park’s safety features and a warning that saying or doing anything that makes any guest doubt their complete and total safety in the park will result in immediate and non-discriminatory termination of employment. Unless she gets a handle on the situation and _shuts Mr. Grady the hell up_ she can kiss her cozy job goodbye.

“Mr. Grady, please. On-site staff are more than equipped to handle any medical emergencies that could _actually arise_ in the park. The First Aid station on Main Street is there to be your best line of defense in the event of a medical emergency and the staff there are well equipped and trained with your safety in mind.”

There it is again. That nod. _Yeah, sure._

“ _Furthermore,_ ” Claire continues, her false smile falling a bit. “The likelihood of animal-related or animal-caused injuries is at the lowest since the park has opened. Park-wide the most common injury seen by medical staff is paper cuts from the park maps. Compared to your average zoo, our animals are on lockdown. You’re more likely to be eaten by a tiger than a T-Rex.” Now she’s got Mr. Grady’s attention. Good. “Also, our Mosasaurus has never-” Claire paused, before clapping her hands in front of Mr. Grady’s face, just as he had done to her. Claire can’t help but smile when he jumps.

“Actually,” Guidebook Boy pipes up “The Mosasaurus has the ability to jump from the water into the air, something demonstrated in the show every day. It breaches the water not unlike a whale, so theoretically it has the ability to-”

Claire clears her throat. Loudly. “I can assure you, Mr. Grady. The park’s security measures are more than sufficient to protect our guests. Even the genius ones.” 

“Thanks. But I’m not a genius. Just well-read.” The Boy says matter-of-factly. Claire gives a smile to the Boy. He takes the compliment and seems to drop the matter. To Mr. Grady, however, Claire shoots the most threatening glance she can get away with. Mr. Grady seems to get the message.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll play nice.” He grins.

Claire nods at him. _Yeah, sure._

Truth be told, beyond the cool and in-control exterior, Claire’s heart is racing right now. She needs to get Mr. Grady in line and keep him there. Unfortunately that means keeping a closer eye on him. But another hour with this juvenile beats out losing her job so she forges on.

Ignoring Mr. Grady, at least for the moment, she turns to the Boy again. “You certainly seem to have done your research, uh…kid.” Claire is honestly terrible with names. That’s why she doesn’t bother to learn any names from her tour party. She keeps track of them, sure, with her own nicknames. But in general people aren’t very pleased when you refer to them by names such as “Unibrow Dude” or “Drooling Child”. Sir or Ma’am work for when she needs to address the adults, but she’s always stuck when it comes to the kids.

The Boy merely laughs. “My name is Gray.”

“Gray. Well, nice to meet you, Gray.” Claire reaches out to shake his hand rather awkwardly due to the height difference. “Shall we?” Claire extends her chin to point behind her shoulder, indicating the scattered tour members. It’s time to collect them all and head back out. Gray nods and falls into step beside her. Claire does a shoulder check to make sure Mr. Grady is following also.

The first people they pass are Daydreaming Teenager and Souvenir Cup Lady. Claire asks them to follow her. The woman just slurps on her straw while the girl flashes her a smile that shows off her braces. After answering a quick question from the girl, both her and her mother are following Claire. Not too far off is Cell Phone Kid. This time, though, it’s Gray that calls out to him.

“Zach! Come on, we’re leaving!” Zach turns, pockets his phone, and shrugs off with them. They find the last four members all around the archaeology display. Camera Mom is trying to pull Unruly T-Rex Boy off of the bones since the boy is trying to dig them up using his bare hands. His feet are back on the floor by the time Claire walks up so she doesn’t bother addressing the issue.

“Next stop, ladies and gentlemen, you get to go hands-on with some of our friendlier creatures at the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thanks to everyone reading! Stay tuned for the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo and the ruckus Owen causes there.
> 
> Visit my [Tumblr](http://www.gwendolyngreene.tumblr.com) for all of my posted works.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> -GG


	4. Gentle Giants Petting Zoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire brings the group to the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo! Mr. Grady doesn't do as he's told and gets his ass handed to him for it. Also, an old man tries to whack an Apatosaurus with his cane and a young girl bursts into tears at the thought of being eaten by a dinosaur. Fun times.

Okay, so the Innovation building wasn’t as hands-off as Claire had hoped for regarding Mr. Grady. Despite being designed as self-guided, Mr. Grady had continued to be as annoying and demanding as possible. Good news? The Gentle Giants Petting Zoo was even _more_ hands-off. As in, it was a _different employee’s job_ of entertaining the guests. If Mr. Grady wanted to pester whoever had his attention, that person was no longer Claire.

Which was why, as Claire nodded to the Attendee at the Petting Zoo to indicate she could start her speech, Claire let out a deep breath. She seemed to have everyone’s attention but Cell Phone Kid, who had resumed staring at Daydreaming Teenager. No, wait, his name was Zach.

Zach had resumed staring at Daydreaming Teenager. Jeez, what was this kid’s problem? She considered changing Day Dreaming Teenager to Blushing Teenager just based on the scene in front of her alone. The red flush covering her face could almost be mistaken for a severe sun burn. Souvenir Cup Lady didn’t seem to have a clue and no one else was looking their way, so unless Day Dreaming Teenager did anything to stop it, Zach didn’t seem like he was going to stop any time soon.

Claire shook her head slightly. It was better, she thought, to watch her group from a distance. She didn’t get to spend much time with them; didn’t learn their names most of the time. Occasionally she would get waved at while doing her rounds from someone who must’ve been in her group on the day previous, but she never had the time or patience to learn anything about them. Fortunately, Claire was rather adept at gathering information about a person by watching them.

For example, the way that Day Dreaming Teenager played with her hair when Zach payed her any attention. The little smile that hung at the corner of her mouth. The speed with which she closed her mouth when she did smile to make sure her braces weren’t showing.

Or the grip that Camera Mom had on her son, an instinct to make sure he didn’t go running off. The look in Unruly T-Rex Boy’s eyes that told Claire, without a doubt, that these were the first dinosaurs the boy had ever seen in the flesh. The tear that rolled down the cheek of Sleeping Grandpa as he watched the child, surprisingly timid, reach out to pet one. The look of absolute fear that flashed over Moustache Dad as his son lurched forward to wrap his little arms around the creature in a big hug.

You’d think that with the amount of attention she was paying to each individual member of her group now, she would have realized that Mr. Grady was not among them. Instead, he was proving his ability to sneak up on Claire in her calmest moments just to interrupt them.

“That’s sweet. One big family meeting their very first dinosaur together. Does the heart good.”

“Mr. Grady.”

“Please, it’s Owen.”

“Mr. Grady, why aren’t you with the group?” Claire remembered her fake smile halfway through the question. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience going hands on in Animal Care and Feeding! There is no other place on the planet where you get to hand-feed a Triceratops. I can’t believe you would want to miss out on this.”

Claire was really trying to get the _‘get in that pen or so help me’_ point across, but either Mr. Grady didn’t get the message or he didn’t care.

“Nah. The babies are cute and all, but I’d rather be standing next to the most beautiful thing in the park.” As if to emphasize his point, he leaned his forearms on the fence standing between where he currently was and where he was supposed to be. (Where he was supposed to be was Not Bothering Claire, but she’d take Bothering the Petting Zoo Attendant in a heartbeat.)

Claire closed her eyes, breathed deeply, and made a decision. Beating around the bush wasn’t working and if she didn’t want to start Beating around Mr. Grady while she was on the clock she had to stop this nonsense. At least now, no one was around to hear.

“Is this some kind of joke to you?” Claire asked, eyes flying open to stare Mr. Grady down. He just stood there, making an _Uuh_ face, clearly not expecting this response. “Is _everything_ a joke to you?”

“N-no?”

“Because in the one hour I have known you, Mr. Grady, you have gotten on my nerves by showing up late, making sexual innuendoes about _steak_ , making repeated advances at me, intentionally disregarding my directions, and questioning my competence at keeping the guests of this park safe. But please, if there’s anything else you’d like to add to this list, then be my guest.”

Mr. Grady physically backed up a few steps, raising his hands in defeat. “Whoah. Sorry. So the steak thing- that wasn’t flirting? And the band-aid thing?”

“Nope.”

“Alright. Sorry. I’ll uh-go join the group then.” Mr. Grady said as he walked away, sticking his hands back in his pockets. Claire clenched and unclenched her fists a few times to relieve some of the tension built up there. True to his word this time, he joined the group inside the fence for the feeding demonstration and almost immediately struck up conversation with Gray.

If she’d known it would have been that easy, she would have done it without hesitation. Now the entire group, Mr. Grady included, were giving their whole attention to the attendant in front of them as she got Unruly T-Rex Boy seated onto the baby Triceratops for a ride around the paddock. Camera Mom was nearly squealing with delight as her son waved eagerly from the back of his steed, almost forgetting to capture the moment with her camera. The Triceratops, however, had other plans and instead of making a lap, headed straight for the keeper handing out leafy greens. He handed a few to the Gallimimus gathered around his feet and was almost knocked over by the keen newcomer.

To Claire’s right, a young girl turned the crank on the food pellet machine, holding the brown cube in her hands as an Apatosaurus approached to take it from her. Before he had the chance, she got spooked and dropped the pellet, bringing her hands to her chest and backing away in tears. She was comforted by her mother for a moment before watching the animal lower its long neck to pick up the pellet from the dusty ground. It munched happily before going about its business.

When she next brought her attention back to her group, the attendant was enticing a nearby stegosaurus to open its mouth with a piece of food so she could show the group its beak and lack of teeth. Gray was excitedly pointing to his guidebook as he talked about the number of teeth in different animals, jaw strength, and various types of diets. Zach wasn’t paying his brother any attention but Mr. Grady was listening to his report. They were interrupted, however, as Sleeping Grandpa began a struggle with an Apatosaurus over his straw hat. After a keeper rushed over to intervene (before the man could successfully whack the animal with his cane), Grandpa got his hat back with only one bite taken out of it. He put it back on his head, looking particularly more sullen than before.

She watched as the next tour guide showed up just down the road, pointing her group’s attention with the two-finger salute they were all taught. She was walking backwards towards the petting zoo, all heels and stupid red hat. In the time it took for the next group to arrive, Claire’s group had all assembled back on the tour bus, with no complaint or fuss from Mr. Grady.

It was the best, most interruption-free twenty-minute span she’d had today. But, as they say, it was only the calm before the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I know It's been a while since I've updated (November, really??) but I promise I'm trying to get back on track. I hope I didn't put anyone off too much with Owen's unwanted flirting, but I always had the intention of handling it like this; Owen misread Claire's queues and once she tells him otherwise, he backs off. So don't worry about him in the next few chapters! :)
> 
> Next chapter: The Gyrosphere!
> 
> Visit my [Tumblr](http://www.gwendolyngreene.tumblr.com) for all of my posted works.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> -GG


	5. The Gyrosphere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final stop on the tour: The Gyrosphere. Claire says goodbye to her guests as they all enter the ride, but Mr. Grady decides he wants to hold up the line. After trying to force him onto the ride, the scraggly-looking teenager operating the ride gets the call to shut the ride down...
> 
> What could possibly be happening?

The line of guests gathered in the line to ride the Gyrosphere was long, hot, and tired. They were also decidedly unhappy to see a group of people escorted right up to the front of the line after their no less than one-hour wait. This wasn’t new or unexpected. Paid tour packages come with perks, and one of those perks is a front-of-the-line pass to this ride. One time Claire had actually had one disgruntled guest, on the hottest day of the summer, throw his bucket of half-eaten popcorn at her as she walked by. And today, as she walked her group of nine straight to the loading dock, half of the line began to boo at her.

People are great, aren’t they?

As she approached, she began her exit speech to her guests, talking and walking backwards simultaneously, an art she’d perfected over the years.

“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, as we approach our final stop on today’s tour I’d like to take this moment to thank you for joining me today on sunny Isla Nublar. At the conclusion of your journey, keep in mind our other exciting attractions such as our Aviary or the T-Rex Kingdom where you can come face to face with our very own Apex Predator.” This got the expected reaction out of Unruly T-Rex Boy who immediately began to imitate the beast. Claire glanced down at her watch. “However, I personally recommend the Mosasaurus feeding show, which should be starting just in time after you finish this ride. In the meantime, please listen to and follow all safety instructions given by the ride attendant and remember that keeping a good distance from the animals makes for good neighbors. Please enjoy the rest of your vacation, and on behalf of Jurassic World I hope you have a _memorable_ trip.”

The scraggly-looking teenager manning the ride drew the barrier, allowing Claire and her party to enter from the exit ramp and keeping the guests in line back. The first to load were Sleeping Grandpa and Moustache Dad. It took a while to get Grandpa situated comfortably in the ride, but once he was both of the men waved to the camera. The kid in charge of the ride mumbled a short “Enjoy your ride.” Claire shot him a look, quirking one eyebrow. “Oh, and, uh…Keep your hands in the ball at all times…keep away from the dinos…and all that…stuff.”

“And follow the instructions on your on-board monitor, thank you.” Claire added with a smile as the door closed and the first ball rolled down the ramp. They lingered behind until the next sphere was loaded with Unruly T-Rex boy and Camera Mom and was sent on its way. Claire watched as the two spheres rolled off into the field and secretly hoped that Camera Mom wouldn’t be so busy looking through her lens that Unruly T-Rex Boy would get the controls. Next in were Daydreaming Teenager and Souvenir Cup Lady, who had by this point ditched her ridiculous drink tank in her daughter’s backpack. The girl gave one last blushing look back to where Zach was standing in line behind Mr. Grady and took off with her mother.

Claire checked the ramp, and there were no Gyrospheres in sight. It could be a while before one showed up that she could stuff Mr. Grady into and so, for the time being, both of them were stuck at the gate, basking in the awkward silence. She could feel him trying to say something, though, and tried to focus her attention somewhere out in the field.

“That’s a nice hat.”

_Really?”_

She turned to him, “Hmm? I’m sorry?”

“I just said- nice hat. It’s, uh, very bright. Matches your hair.” Luckily, Claire didn’t need to give a verbal response this time and Mr. Grady took the queue from the look on her face. Claire looked back out again and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a Gyrosphere pulling up to the unloading dock, the silver number 07 glistening in the sunlight. Claire’s salvation.

“Hey, I just wanted to apologize for what happened earlier.” Mr. Grady said, trying to get Claire’s attention from where it was locked onto the sphere which, much to Claire’s distress, probably couldn’t be moving any slower if it tried. “It’s just- I know I won’t be seeing you around and I didn’t want to leave without explaining myself. I didn’t want you to think I was doing any of it on purpose. Because I wasn’t.”

“There’s no need to apologize Mr. Grady.” Claire said curtly. “And Josh, let’s remember to give guests the full safety instructions as they enter the Gyrosphere from now on, alright? Remember, safety is our top priority.”

Josh seemed rather surprised at being addressed and shrunk back under Claire’s gaze. “Uhh. Yeah. Sorry. Got it.” 

“Look, if I’d known I would have cut it out so I just want to say I’m sorry. I hope there aren’t any bad feelings between us.” 

“Not at all.” Claire smiled. She turned to the ramp again, muttering “Any time now…”

“But the tour was really great. And you were really great.” Finally, Gyrosphere 07 arrived at the loading dock. The door was open but Mr. Grady wasn’t going anywhere. “And I hope we can start over.” he stuck his hand out for a handshake. “Hi. My name’s Owen. Nice to meet you.”

The crowd standing in line was really starting to get rowdy. She could see some of the guests complaining about the idiot holding up the line. Especially on a busy day like today, crowd control was key. So she grabbed his hand, giving it one quick shake. “Hmm. Yes. Claire. Mr. Grady, if you’re not going to get in the Gyrosphere I suggest you step aside and let the next guests enter.”

She desperately wished that he would just get in so she could close the lid and be done with him forever. Mr. Grady was a little too good at following instruction this time around and stepped to the side, gesturing for the two boys behind him to go ahead. Gray surged forward, all smiles, with his brother Zach in tow. Gray adjusted his hip pack once he was seated and immediately went for the controls. Under the watch of Claire, Josh made a much better attempt at listing the safety instructions this time around. Claire cut Mr. Grady off again by leaning down to the door to the sphere.

“Hey, Gray. If you see any Stegosaurus today, make sure you count the plates on their backs for me, okay? Make sure there’s seventeen like you say.”

Gray grinned at her. “Sure. Thank you!”

“Have a nice ride!” She waved them down the ramp, watching the shining number 07 that was supposed to be her rescue disappear without Mr. Grady behind it. She turned back to face him instead.

“-so I was wondering if you and me could try that Jurassic-sized steak you were talking about.”

_Are you kidding me?_

The phone rang to her left, grabbing her attention. Josh picked it up quickly, listening to the orders being given to him. Anything that Mr. Grady was saying went right past Claire because she could swear she heard the words “ _ride shutdown_ ” from the other end of that line. Josh hung up, looking very flustered and reaching for the shut off button on the console.

“Well, Mr. Grady, it looks like you missed your chance.” The loading gate locked, the guests all turned to Josh as he tried to explain that the ride was now closed, and Claire got the hell out of there before any of the guests (let alone Mr. Grady) realized where she’d gone. Amid the throngs of guests yelling at Josh, she heard a small and desperate “Come on, guys, I just work here.” She did not envy Josh his task.

One way or another, at least she was done with Mr. Grady.

But more importantly, why had the ride shut down?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I'm sorry this took so long. This chapter had me in a bit of a rutt with how to handle Claire and Owen's interaction. But exciting times are ahead, finally some PLOT!
> 
> Let me know what you think. Comments and Kudos are always appreciated and keep this writer doing what she loves to do best. <3
> 
> Visit my [Tumblr](http://www.gwendolyngreene.tumblr.com) for all of my posted works.
> 
> -GG


	6. Main Street

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire checks the computer system to see why all the attractions have been shut down - and discovers that she's not the only one asking that question and not getting an answer. To make matters worse, It looks like two of her guests have gone missing, and only Claire and Mr. Grady are able to go find them.

Claire was squinting to see the screen in front of her in the sunlight. She’d left the Gyrosphere, wondering why it had been shut down so suddenly, only to discover that _all_ of the attractions in the park had been shut down. But that’s OK. Because attractions shut down all the time. Technical malfunctions happen suddenly, forcing ride closures with little to no notice. But technical malfunctions don’t happen to all the attractions in the park simultaneously. Over the years they’d had some pretty serious weather hit the island, which would explain all the closures. But when that happens, they always make an announcement, get everyone inside. Besides, the weather report said clear and sunny all day and there wasn’t a single cloud in sight for _miles_. Not to mention, if either a technical malfunction or imminent weather were happening, they would have told the staff.

And so far no one knows _anything_.

Claire pulled up the Employee Alert System, once she’d managed to find a vacant Information Station on the now crowded Main Street. Under Alerts, there’s nothing. Notices is blank. Messages is empty. But Closures is one giant block of red.

Claire knows the park’s emergency procedures almost by heart. And she keeps running over all of them in her mind because…No. It couldn’t possibly.

No way.

But still, just to make sure, she pulls up the Gyrostation on the computer. It has a detailed tracking system in each of the ride vehicles and she just needs to check that all of her tour party made it back safe. Because if it really is what she’s thinking (and it’s not), then she wants to make sure that no one is still out in that field.

You know, just in case.

Of the last four Gyrospheres that were sent out, number 25 turned back and returned almost immediately. 03 had been quite a distance out, but did make its way back albeit in a rather zig-zag line with a few loop-de-loops thrown in, while 12 followed closely behind. But she couldn’t see the fourth one on the map. She scrolled the map around, trying to find it. It was only after scrolling quite a distance away that she found it, still on the move. Gyrosphere 07 was in the restricted zone.

Gyrosphere 07. Shit. She remembered; that was the one that Zach and Gray had gotten into. And somehow they’d managed to cross the fence. How that was even possible Claire didn’t know but she did know who would be responsible for it. She snatched the phone up, punched in the extension for the Gyrosphere loading dock and let it ring.

Once. Twice. Three times. Claire got angry. Four. Five. Six Times. Then Claire started to worry. Even an employee like Josh knows to pick up the phone before the third ring. And she knows ride closure procedure; the employee manning the ride must stay at his or her station unless otherwise ordered by management, which never happens. That’s to make sure there’s someone present to _answer the god damn phone if it rings_. Someone else in Attractions would have been posted at the entrance to the line to inform the guests of the closure, so there was no reason for Josh _not_ to be there. Even he wasn’t stupid enough to abandon his post during a shut down.

There’s only one possible reason that attractions would all shut down without explanation, guests would be collected on Main Street, and employees would be pulled from their stations.

Claire doesn’t realize the phone is still ringing until she thinks to dial the extension for Security. But out of the corner of her eye she sees another disgruntled guest approaching her. The usual responses come to mind.

“Sir, please remain calm.”

“Ma’am, if there are any updates you will be alerted via the speaker system.”

“Washrooms are to your left.”

She’s already starting to panic, but she can’t let it show. In emergency situations they always have to keep safety in mind, and above all, remain calm.

At this point, she’s not even surprised that the disgruntled guest walking towards her is Mr. Grady. But she _really_ doesn’t have time for him right now. Her palms are starting to sweat and she needs to get back on that phone. Mr. Grady seems as determined as ever and marches right up to her. She’s seconds away from saying something snappy to him when he opens his mouth.

“Hey! Look, I promise I’m not here to bother you. I just want to know what’s happening. I’ve asked at least five other employees of this park and no one will tell me what’s going on!”

Well, what the hell. She can’t tell him anything more than she knows herself. If the guy wants honesty, she’ll give him honesty.

Claire breathed out deeply. “Mr. Grady, you aren’t being given any information because neither are we. Once we know anything, I promise that you will be-”

“No. Don’t give me that load of crap.” Mr. Grady countered. “You know something. I can see it. They may not be telling you anything, but you know something. So tell me. What the hell is going on here?”

“Mr. Grady, please. I was about to call Security to check on two missing boys. I doubt they’ll tell me anything but you’re welcome to wait around in case they do.”

“Wait, missing?”

“Yes, from the Gyrosphere. Their ride vehicle never returned. You know, the one you were supposed to get into?” Claire picked up the phone again, dialing the extension for Security. It rang once before she heard a voice on the other line.

“This is Security.”

“This is Claire from Guest Services and Touring. We need a search and rescue in the Valley. There’s two missing boys in Gyrosphere number seven that haven’t returned yet.”

“Sorry, Ma’am. All available units are busy.”

“What do you mean they’re busy? There is a Gyrosphere in the restricted zone with two missing boys. There has to be someone.”

“We’ve got our hands tied over here. I can file a report but it’s going to be a while before anyone can respond.”

“Wait, can’t you-” but Claire was cut off by the line disconnecting. She held the handset in disbelief. All available units are busy? Busy with what? What’s so important that two unauthorized minors roaming loose in the restricted zone aren’t a priority? The part of the park that’s so Area 51 that _she_ doesn’t even know what’s back there?

“So? What did they say?” Mr. Grady asks.

“They didn’t say anything.” Claire set the handset back down. This didn’t seem to calm Mr. Grady any.

“Are you kidding me? So you guys shut down everything inside the park, herd people like cattle onto Main Street in this heat, don’t tell us anything, and expect us to wait patiently? Just what do you suggest we do?”

Claire looks him dead in the eye and lowers her voice. “Mr. Grady, I suggest you get yourself as close to the docks as possible and if the call goes out to evacuate the island that you get yourself on the first boat out of here.” There it is. The feeling of fright that Claire’s feeling inside is now showing on Mr. Grady’s face. He’s finally getting the hint.

“But what about those boys?”

“I don’t know. They said there were no available units. If there was some way I could find out if they had any family here, I could alert them…”

“Well, why can’t you?”

“There’s twenty thousand people in the park on any given day. It would take ages to sort through all those guest logs. There would have to be-” Claire paused. She remembered back on the Tour Bus, when she got her first good look at the boys. Gray had his guidebooks out on his lap, raising his hand to answer all of Claire’s questions…

The hand that had the blue VIP wristband on it. His brother Zach had one too.

“The wristbands! They both had wristbands!” Claire jumped back to the computer station, pulling the guest database and punching in the search criteria. Mr. Grady stood right behind her. Out of the thousands of people who come through the gates every day, only a select few wear those wristbands. In seconds she got exactly what she was looking for. “Zach and Gray Mitchell, first entered the park today. Staying at the hotel on the island. Here alone, no parents or guardians.” Claire deflated a little. They weren’t here with anybody. There would be no one to alert to their disappearance. No one would even be looking for them.

“So that’s it? There’s nothing we can do?”

“No, Mr. Grady. There’s nothing that _we_ can do. But there is something I can do.” Claire signed off of the computer system and went to move past Mr. Grady.

“Whoa, whoa. Just where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m going to go look for them.” She stated. “Someone has to.”

“And just how are you going to find them in the jungle?”

“It’s called a car, Mr. Grady. And I can track their vehicle on my tablet.”

“And you’re going to do that while driving? You can’t do this alone.”

“Oh, what? You’re suggesting I take you? We already have two unauthorized children roaming around behind the fence. I’m not letting you be the third.”

“Look,” Mr. Grady stepped closer to Claire, bringing his face just inches from hers. “I understand that it’s difficult for you to accept that you may actually need someone else’s help. But you can’t do this on your own. Besides, if you’re right and there _is_ something going on back there, do you _really_ want to find it on your own? Or worse, have it find you?”

Claire’s confidence fell just a little bit. He was right, in a way. There was probably no one else on this island crazy enough to do what Claire fully intended on doing, and she really shouldn’t be refusing the help. Besides, she’s only going a little past the fence. She’ll jump in a Ranger, drive out to their location and bring them back. Couldn’t be that hard. But the longer she waited, the further they got.

“Fine.” Claire stomped off, allowing Mr. Grady to follow her. Amid the movement and bustle of Main Street, no one saw the two of them slip through the door into Backstage. They had to move quickly. Because if Claire was right, then all the signs were pointing right at Asset out of Containment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I say this a lot but THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! Now that we're finally getting some juicy plot to bite into I feel like this is gonna be a good ride. I re-watched the movie to confirm a few details before I continue on, so stay tuned!
> 
> Comments and Kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> Visit my [Tumblr](http://www.gwendolyngreene.tumblr.com) for all of my posted works.
> 
> -GG


	7. Behind the Fence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire and Mr. Grady go behind the fence to search for the missing boys. On the way there they spot the wake of destruction being left behind by whatever is loose on this island...and they agree to begrudgingly team up for a hunt through the jungle.

Mr. Grady was driving. It was a matter of security, because bringing him behind the fence was one thing but she wasn’t about to let him have uninhibited access to Jurassic World’s internal system by handing him her tablet. So instead she sat in the passenger’s seat giving directions towards the pinging little blue dot on the map that was Gyrosphere 07. She’d instructed him to drive straight through the Gyrosphere Valley, right towards where the boys must have crossed the fence. The attraction was completely shut down, save for this one last missing Gyrosphere, so there wasn’t anything in their way.

But wait a second, shouldn’t there be _dinosaurs_ in their way? Claire looked around, trying to find the animals that provided the point to riding around in a Gyrosphere through this valley. She squinted into the horizon on every side, unable to locate a single one.

“Something wrong?” Mr. Grady asked, tossing brief glances towards her, looking over the back seat of the Ranger.

“Where are the animals?” The response was quiet, almost a question to herself instead of an answer to Mr. Grady’s. Her attention was brought back as he applied the brakes. Claire was going to ask him why he stopped, but the answer to both of her questions lay right in front of them.

An Apatosaurus, seventy feet long and wounded, lay on the grass in front of them. Both of them froze in silence. The beast drew a ragged breath, letting it out with a pitiful sounding groan. Mr. Grady grabbed one of the Security Staff Only stun weapons from the back of the vehicle. Claire’s foot was already on the grass, tenderly taking more of her weight as she stepped out. He put a hand on her arm, trying to stop her from going any closer, but she ignored it. Instead, he raised the weapon and followed behind. Claire walked up the length of the beast’s neck, eyeing the gaping red wounds that were there. She had no idea what could have made those. Only herbivores had been placed in this valley. As she neared the head, she kept a careful eye on the animal’s movement. But there wasn’t much; only the irregular breathing and occasional blinking. She knelt softly in the grass and reached out a hand. As she placed it on the animal, right behind its head, it reared up a few inches and tried to let out a sound. Claire took her hand back, but returned it when the animal collapsed once again after that small effort. It was dying.

Mr. Grady was hanging back a few feet from where Claire was, examining the wounds. He couldn’t tell if they were claw marks, teeth marks, or both. He was in awe, standing this close to such an immense being. He joined Claire, placing his hand gently on the animal’s neck. It was then he saw what Claire had seen- the animal was taking its last breath. Claire’s other hand was on the very top of its head and moving ever so slightly. As if she were _petting_ it. Exhausted, the animal closed its eyes, settled into the grass, and didn’t move again. The breathing slowed down to none. They stayed like that for another moment, taking in the fact that the animal was dead and they’d been its only company in its last moments.

“Oh my God.” Claire breathed. Mr. Grady looked up, his eyes falling over the crest of the hill onto what Claire had spotted. Five more Apatosaurus lay dead in the valley below.

“What the hell did this?”

“We have to go.” Claire stated, fearing more than ever what had happened to those boys. She moved quickly back towards the Ranger, wiping away a tear so Mr. Grady wouldn’t see it. This time, when Mr. Grady started up the car and drove towards the spot in the fence he went just a little bit faster. Claire returned to her tablet and located Gyrosphere 07. It wasn’t moving. “Right up there!”

Mr. Grady turned the wheel, aiming right for the hole in the fence the boys must have used. The ground was much more uneven now, and the Ranger jostled them on each bump and curve. As they approached the ping, their own vehicle’s red dot blinking closer and closer to the stationary blue one, Claire’s leg began bouncing up and down and she held her breath. Just a few yards away, she abandoned the tablet and brought her eyes forward.

The Gyrosphere sat, bullet-proof glass shattered, smoking and bloody on the jungle floor. 

“Oh no no no no no no…” Claire jumped from her seat. Among the wreckage was a cellphone. The same one Zach had been glued to on the tour. Mr. Grady went around the other side of the wreck, the first to spot the large tooth sticking out of the hull.

“What is that?” He called, pointing to it. Claire felt like she was going to throw up. The tooth was bloody and huge. So huge. “Could it have come from that?”

The bloody, _headless_ , carcass of an Ankylosaurus sat not far away. Ankylosaurus were herbivores.

“No.”

“So what the hell did this?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know!” Claire almost shouted. Her first thought was the T-Rex, given the size of the tooth and the aggressiveness of these attacks. She moved over the vines covering the ground back towards the Ranger to fetch her tablet. Shaking, she closed the vehicle tracking system and opened up the T-Rex Kingdom live cams. There she was, big and imperious and _entirely_ still in her enclosure.

Mr. Grady seemed to have the same thought as she did. “Was this the T-Rex?”

“No. She’s still locked up.” Claire showed him her tablet to prove it. Her voice was wavering.

“Is that the only one you got on this island?” Claire nodded. “So you’re telling me you got something bigger and badder than a T-Rex out here?”

“I don’t know!”

“I thought they told you everything.”

_I thought they did, too._

“Footprints.” Mr. Grady, stun weapon still in hand, moved past Claire, following the prints in the mud. “They got out.”

Claire felt herself lighten just a little bit, allowing herself the hope that the boys were safe. The footprints led them to a waterfall. They peered over the edge. There wasn’t any blood. Not on the top of the waterfall, and not at the bottom. The gigantic prints left by whatever animal did this led off in the other direction.

“They must have jumped.” Mr. Grady looked at the animal’s prints with Claire. A few years back they’d run a family tour, mostly educational, that had a segment to identify the various footprints of the park’s animals. Claire was put in charge of those tours. She would know a T-Rex footprint better than almost anyone. Nothing else on the island would even come close in size that had claws like that. “And you’re telling me this wasn’t a T-Rex?”

“It couldn’t have been!” Claire had left her tablet behind but had no doubt that the park’s only T-Rex was safe and secure in Paddock 9.

“Fine. So, this Mystery Rex went that way.” Mr. Grady pointed in the direction of the prints. “If those boys had any sense, they’d go the other way. I’ll find a way down, then we can see if they left any tracks down there.”

“You’re not going anywhere. I’ll find them on my own. Give me that.” Claire held out her hand for the stun gun.

“Oh yes I am. And I’m not giving you anything. Look, I want to find those boys just as much as you do. But I think I know a little bit more than you do on how to get through that jungle. You think you can do it alone? In those shoes?”

Claire glanced down at her feet. Then she straightened out her back, standing a little taller.

“Yes.” She said proudly. Mr. Grady barked out a laugh. “Mr. Grady, please. You aren’t even authorized to be back here. I know this island like the back of my hand. I’m a _tour guide_ , remember?”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

“We go together, then.”

“What?”

“Oh come on, we don’t have time for this. You know the island and I know how to get through it. Let’s go.” Mr. Grady stalked off and Claire reluctantly followed. She caught up with him and wondered just how he knew jungle survival skills in the first place. Then she saw the hat he wore again.

“Were you really in the Navy?” Claire asked, pointing at the hat. He glanced up, as if he forgot it was on his head.

“Yeah. Oh, that reminds me. Get rid of that hat. Red will stick out too much in the jungle.” Mr. Grady said over his shoulder. Claire picked the stupid thing up, removing it from all the pins she used to keep it in place. She dropped the pins on the ground as she went, but took extra care to crumple and smash the hat in her hands before throwing it over the edge of the cliff into the water below. Mr. Grady looked around at the incline they had to descend. “No way to bring the car. It’ll be on foot.”

Mr. Grady began to pick his way down the slope and Claire watched the angle he was at. He used his hands to balance himself as he descended, stopping to peer up at her as if to say “Hurry up”. She rolled up her sleeves and removed the too-tight vest to give her more range of movement. She threw it the way the hat had gone but kept the name tag, affixing it instead to her shirt. Claire followed behind him as Mr. Grady wound his way down. Now all she had on was the white shirt, white skirt and her heels. Opposingly, Mr. Grady was dressed in cargo pants and boots, all in shades of brown. No doubt, he looked more prepared than she did. 

_Let’s do this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoopee, look at me, I'm not dead! And I managed to update this fic! Sorry for the delay; you shouldn't have to wait nearly as long for the next one. HOPEFULLY I can get somewhere close to regular updates. Anyway, next chapter we track the boys to the Visitor's Centre!
> 
> P.S. I'm going to avoid going into too much detail about things that happened in the film unless significant changes have occurred in this universe. The Apatosaurus was a bit of an exception since I feel like Mr. Grady, who in this AU has no experience with animals like these, wouldn't be so gung-ho about approaching this one. So Claire did it instead. From here on out I'm merely reimagining the film's plot events, so I may gloss over some details in the next few chapters since not a whole lot is going to change.
> 
> Thanks for sticking through this with me! Visit my [Tumblr](http://www.gwendolyngreene.tumblr.com) for all of my posted works.
> 
> -GG


	8. The Visitor's Centre

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire and Mr. Grady stumble upon the Visitor's Centre from the original park in search of the boys. Unfortunately something has followed them...

The sound of an engine, roaring through the woods, turned Claire’s attention to Mr. Grady, who was tracking the source of the sound. He broke off running and Claire followed. It wasn’t long before they’d stumbled upon something Claire thought she’d never see.

“What is this place?” Mr. Grady asked as he rounded the vine-covered walls to the open garage door. Fresh track marks led out from the cement pad.

“This is the old Visitor’s Centre. From Hammond’s park.” Claire said in awe. She watched the tracks disappear into the jungle. No way they’d be able to catch up with whatever it was that left those tracks.

“Who’s Hammond?”

Claire turned, eyebrow raised.

“John Hammond? Creator of the original Jurassic Park? Opened in nineteen-”

“Alright, alright I get it. Don’t need the tour speech.” Mr. Grady was examining the lone vehicle that remained in the garage. Claire bent, picking up a grey sweater that had been balled up on the ground. Just like Zach’s.

“This was them. They were here!”

“How in the hell did they get one of these things running?” Mr. Grady set the gun down by the side of the vehicle, trying to find the latch to open the hood.

_Thump._

Both of them stopped, listening.

_Crash._

Something out in the jungle. Claire ran to Mr. Grady’s side.

_Thump._

Closer now. Too close. Both of them hunkered down in front of the vehicle. Claire prayed it offered enough cover for the both of them. The sound of the jeep. It must have drawn something else in like it had drawn in both of them. But what was it? The Mystery Rex?

A huff of warm arm pushed its way into the garage. No time to think. No time to grab the gun. The Mystery Rex had already arrived. The tip of the snout appeared, covered in eerily white scales. There were only a few feet of scrap metal sitting in between them and certain death. Mr. Grady put a finger to his lips, knowing that in her terror her eyes were still on him. A reminder to be utterly silent. Claire nodded understanding, but she could hear the Mystery Rex breathing and it was shaking her to her very core. She shut her eyes and clung to Mr. Grady’s arm because she felt like she was made of Jell-O and the entire world was shaking or maybe it was just her but his arm was the only thing that felt solid and she clung to it and her grip was tight but he didn’t say a word or try to pull away, he just let her cling to him as she felt a tear threaten to roll down her cheek.

Then the building stilled and the air inside stopped swirling from the animal’s gigantic breaths. The jungle outside the door was silent and Claire dared to open her eyes. Mr. Grady’s were still there, trained on her face. She looked behind him, to the open space where the beast had thrust its giant snout. No snout. No scales. No Mystery Rex. Claire exhaled.

_CRASH!_

No time to grab the gun.

The ceiling crumbled down around them and the Rex gave out a terrific roar. Neither of them dared to pause. They both took off running, sprinting through the main lobby of the building. The sound of footsteps told them the Rex wasn’t far behind. Mr. Grady leapt over a pile of old debris, reaching out his hand for Claire to take. She breezed past him. She couldn’t waste even a second.

Mr. Grady followed just a step behind her until they were back in the trees. They couldn’t feel the footsteps shake the ground any more, but it was right there. _It was right there._ The old building could only have slowed it down a little. He pulled at her elbow to veer deeper into the trees. They were headed straight for a great fallen tree trunk. Another roar ripped through the air. A trunk snapped in half underfoot of the monster. They couldn’t out run it. They dove over the tree trunk, landing in a pile of mud in behind. They pressed as close to the trunk as they could. Hunkered down as low as possible. Tucked their heads down. 

Everything was shaking now. Claire, the earth, and the air that surrounded them. Everything was shaking and Claire felt like she was just going to shake until she shattered into a million pieces. But Mr. Grady’s hands were on her, holding her close, holding her together. Keeping her pieces from falling apart. Maybe he was shaking, too. She couldn’t tell.

One thing for sure, the earth was definitely shaking. With each footstep as the beast charged nearer she could feel the vibrations increase. Her shaking had set loose a few tears, which blurred the edges of her vision as she raised her head enough to look at Mr. Grady’s face. He looked at her with the same expression.

_We’re going to die._

Another sound appeared, growing nearer as the Rex did. It was a helicopter, Claire realized. The Rex’s foot falls slowed before stopping. A moment reprieve before they started up again, this time decreasing in volume. The helicopter had distracted the Mystery Rex away, storming off in the direction it had come.

Claire’s fingers were still clinging onto Owen’s arms. He didn’t seem much more motivated to let go of her, either. They held on until it felt like their pieces just might stay together after all, and then allowed themselves to breathe. Their grips relaxed. Claire’s head tipped forward, pressing against Owen’s as they breathed in relief. It was only then that Claire realized she’d dug red marks with her fingernails into the flesh of Owen’s arms. She tried to apologize.

“Oh thank god.” Came out instead. Owen seemed to appreciate the sentiment nonetheless. They peered up, over the log. The jungle immediately before them was empty. Claire breathed, fully in and fully out, until she felt halfway to normal again. Let the sight of the empty jungle before her calm her senses. “Two shots of tequila please.”

“Claire? I have more good news.” Owen asked. Claire kept her eyes on the trees ahead but acknowledged she’d heard him. “This isn’t mud we’re sitting in.”

Claire felt her breathing stop. Slowly, she turned to face Owen, expecting a face that denoted sarcasm. There was none. Instead, he was looking down at the ground with a deliberate stare. Claire followed his gaze. He had a handful of the stuff, spreading it apart with his fingers. The smell reached her nose.

“I fail to see how that’s a good thing.”

“We can use it to cover our scent.”

“Excuse me?” Owen used the handful he had already, smearing it down his other arm. Claire recoiled, disgust distorting her features. He did the other arm then turned to her, expectant.

“Come on. I know it’s not pretty. But unless you want that thing following us again, you need to cover your scent up. This is the best thing to use.”

Claire turned her eyes to the jungle again. It was empty, but she could still visualize the great white snout, and imagined the massive beast that must be behind it. Snarling teeth, painted in blood, one of which had already been ripped loose. She couldn’t believe it. Given her options, she actually wanted to cover herself in dung. There certainly is a first for everything.

“Don’t take it personally. Everything smells repulsive when it’s covered in shit. May I?”

“No! No.” Claire backed out of his reach. “I’m a big girl, Owen. I am perfectly capable of doing this myself, _thank you very much._ ”

Tentatively, she reached a hand into the dung. It came up easier than she expected. It also smeared on easier than expected. Her legs were already covered from having kneeled in it, so she only needed to cover her arms. Somehow, she managed to stop herself from retching. 

When she finished, Owen was smiling.

“What?” Claire questioned, suddenly afraid he’d meant it as some sort of cruel joke. _You didn’t actually have to smear shit on yourself, Claire._ Owen merely snickered. She realized too late that he would’ve gone awfully far for just a joke. The man was covered in it, too.

“You called me Owen.”

Claire paused. Seriously? That’s what he deemed important? Now?

“Yes? That is your name, isn’t it?” Claire said. Owen offered his hand to help her stand. “That jeep was headed right back to the park. That’s where we should go.”

“Which way?”

Claire put the not-mud out of her mind, tried to picture the park map instead. She could place the monorail, the hotel, the Mosasaurus tank, and recall the exact layout of Main Street. But the location of the original park’s Visitor’s Centre wasn’t on any of those maps. She only had brief glimpses at very old maps to rely on.

“East. Head east and we should reach Main Street.”

“Your lead, Tour Guide.”

Claire set off in the direction she figured was the way back home. She was about 90% sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so this chapter doesn't differ much from the film, so I tried to switch it up using some elements from the deleted scenes- if you haven't watched them , you definitely need to. You can find them on Youtube. I fully acknowledge this chapter's probably a bit boring so I figured I'd just put this one out there so we can get back to the good stuff! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Next chapter: Where the hell are we? (Shh... it's a surprise!)
> 
> *Note: Edited after original posting, on 11/28/2016
> 
> Visit my [Tumblr](http://www.gwendolyngreene.tumblr.com) for all of my posted works.
> 
> -GG


	9. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire and Owen are hopelessly lost on the island. Claire's supposed to be leading them back to Main Street, but as it turns out, even tour guides get lost. Can they get back on the road to Main Street?

Claire swatted away a fly as she led Owen through the jungle. She tried to keep just far enough ahead of him that he couldn’t see the uncertainty on her face. They’d been walking for far too long. They should have reached Main Street by now. Her attempts at casually glancing around were becoming more obvious- she couldn’t explain them away as checking the trees for predators any more.

The Mystery Rex was still pressing on her mind. First of all, she had no idea what it was. She was supposed to know every animal that was on this island. Every species. Every single one. From the tiny glance she got of it, she could already tell this was no ordinary T-Rex. This was something else entirely. Secondly, where had it gone?

They had no tech, no transportation, no idea what could be pursuing them right this minute, and most unfortunately, no idea where they were.

“Please tell me we’re getting close. I didn’t think this island was this big.” Owen chimed in from behind her. Claire stopped in her tracks. Owen was still holding the gun tight in his hand.

“Okay, so I maybe, just don’t quite…know where we are. You know, exactly.”

“And how long ago did you come to this conclusion?” 

Claire hesitated to answer.

“Maybe a while back?”

“And you didn’t think this would be useful information? That you’re wandering around an island infested with dinosaurs without a clue where the hell you are?” Owen shout-whispered.

“Look! I am working on very out-dated information here! That old visitor’s centre isn’t on any of the recent maps. I don’t think anyone’s even been in there for twenty years!” Claire shouted back. Owen shushed her, looking around suspiciously. Claire adjusted her volume. “By all accounts, we should have hit Main Street by now. I’m not taking the blame for this one!” Owen shushed her again. She huffed. Before she could say anything back, she heard it.

A rattle. And a clang. And some faint voices shouting over it. Humans.

Owen took off through the trees, headed straight for the sound. Claire followed behind him, initially thankful they’d found their way. But once they’d rounded the brush and she could see the building in front of them, she faltered.

“Oh no…” Claire put a hand out, trying to stop Owen from moving forward. “We can’t be here.”

“What are you talking about? Isn’t this where we’re supposed to go? Back to the park?”

“No no no no no… this isn’t the park. You’re not even supposed to know this exists.” Owen proceeded forward, ignoring her. She surged forward to catch up with him. “Listen to me! We. Cannot. Be. Here. This is a military contracted program. Even _I‘m_ not supposed to know what this is!”

“Then how do you know?” Owen asked, brushing past her.

“Excuse me, can I help you?” A man asked, sitting on the bed of one of the trucks. Claire turned to him.

_Oh God, I cannot get arrested today._

She immediately adjusted her name badge, thankful she’d kept it on, to bring the man’s attention to it.

“Yes, I’m hoping you can. See, I- We- We were trying to retrieve two boys who’d gone missing behind the fence. We were separated from our Ranger and I was hoping we could borrow one of your vehicles to get back to Main Street?”

“Separated by what? Not that thing?” The man asked, standing up. “The Rex?”

“Yes.” Claire flooded with appreciation, that this man knew what was going on. That something was loose. Also, that she’d been correct. It was some sort of Rex.

“You saw it? And survived?” The man asked, astonished. His tone did not help her concern about the animal. “Hey, Barry, come over here a sec!”

Claire lowered her head for a moment. Just long enough to get a good, proper look at what was on her body. Beneath all the dirt, the sweat, and _the poop_ , all she had on was the white shirt and white skirt from her uniform. With just a name badge, it didn’t look anything like the Tour Guide uniform she always wore. In this she looked like _management_. An idea popped into her head.

“Just stay here and don’t say anything, alright?” Claire said to Owen as the man called Barry approached.

“But I-”

“Just let me do the talking. You’re not even supposed to be back here, remember?” Claire turned to the man approaching, sticking out her hand and greeting him before he had the chance to say anything. If she was going to pull this off, she had to be convincing. “Hello. Claire Dearing. You must be in charge here? I’m going to make this quick. We need to borrow one of your vehicles to get back to Main Street. We were tracking two young boys who-”

“Owen Grady.” Barry stated, releasing Claire’s handshake and walking past her. As she turned, she saw Owen wore a smirk. The two men met and did some sort of man-hug-handshake mess before Barry clapped his hand down on Owen’s back, in a way that Claire felt was probably supposed to be affectionate. “How long it has been since I’ve seen you, my friend.”

“Wait, you know him?”

“Know him? I worked with him. I trust this man with my life.”

“We were in the Navy together. It’s no big deal, Dearing.”

“But I must ask, what are you doing back here? You’ve picked a terrible time and place for a hike.”

“We’re not here for a leisurely stroll. Look, we were looking for two kids who wandered off back here, and we think they’ve gone back to Main Street. We just nearly avoided getting eaten by whatever the hell you guys’ve got roaming around back here, so I would really appreciate it if we could get pointed in the right direction.”

“You got lucky. I heard that thing has killed nearly everyone it’s come in contact with.”

“How many people has the Mystery Rex killed?” Claire asked, afraid to know the answer.

“Mystery Rex?” Barry asked, turning to her. Claire froze. He looked her over, stopping to examine the name badge. “Who are you?”

“Claire Dearing, Guest Services and…Touring.”

“They’re sending Tour Guides out to look for missing guests now, are they?”

“Well, no. Not exactly.”

Barry huffed. He extended his hand out for her, reintroducing himself with a handshake.

“I’m Barry. I’m the Head Trainer here.”

“Trainer? What exactly are you _training_ them to do?

The rumble of approaching vehicles turned all of their attentions to the other side of the clearing. Three jeeps pulled up and came to a stop, military men climbing out to eye the Paddock.

“You have to leave now. You’re not supposed to be here. Take one of these security vehicles and go! This road will take you straight back. It was nice to see you again, Owen, but you can’t be seen here.” Barry ushered them to an empty Jeep and pointed them down the dirt road. Before he could leave, Owen called out to him.

“What you got back here that’s so secretive, anyhow?”

Barry turned, hesitating. 

“Velociraptors.”

Barry turned back to the Paddock, breaking into a jog to meet the uniformed men approaching the gate. Owen looked surprised.

“I thought you didn’t have Raptors on this island?”

“I said they weren’t open to the public. Which is true. We need to go.” Claire started towards the driver’s side of the Jeep.

“Oh no you don’t. You got us lost last time you were in the lead. I’m driving.”

Claire didn’t have time to argue. She didn’t like the look of the military men. She never really understood why the military had such a hush-hush operation on the island involving Velociraptors, and she didn’t like the sound of _trainers_ being involved. She just wanted to get out of there.

As Owen sped down the winding dirt road, Claire tried to let the growing distance between them and the Raptors ease her mind. The mistake she made was opening the car’s built in security monitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting back into the good stuff! Queue some interesting story switches...Barry as the Head Trainer of the Raptor pack is officially number one! Many more to come. And, yes, there is a point to all of this. I promise.
> 
> Next chapter, we find out what happened while Claire and Owen were lost in the jungle!
> 
> Visit my [Tumblr](http://www.gwendolyngreene.tumblr.com) for all of my posted works.
> 
> -GG


	10. Return to Main Street

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire and Owen return to Main Street to find it under attack by the Pterasaurs. In the chaos, are they finally able to locate the missing boys they've thus risked their lives to find?

“What do you mean ‘Uh Oh’? You can’t say something like that and not expect me to-”

“The Aviary. The Mystery Rex. It’s…” Claire paused, trying to scan her eyes through the live security bulletin.

“WHAT?”

“Oh God. The birds. The Mystery Rex just broke through the Aviary. The birds are loose!”

“What kind of birds are we talking here? Pigeons?”

“Pteranodons! Drive!” Claire commanded.

“We’re almost there. Calm down.”

“You don’t understand.” Claire turned to Owen in the driver’s seat, who looked entirely too calm for this kind of situation. “These animals are carnivores. They go where the food goes. And they’re out of containment for the first time ever.”

“And you guys herded every guest you have on this island right onto Main Street.” Owen realized. 

“I think you mean Buffet Alley. We have to warn them.”

“How far are we from the Aviary?”

“Not far.”

The car skidded around the last turn, came to a stop, and both of them lurched out. Owen snatched the gun from the seat and bolted after Claire through the doors. The street was absolutely packed. Guests everywhere they could find a place to sit, drinking from water bottles and cups and fanning themselves with whatever was available. Nearby, one sunburned couple argued with a park employee about a refund. Claire made a beeline for them.

“You have to get everyone inside immediately.”

“EXCUSE ME! I was speaking first-” The guest started, before seeing Claire’s nametag. “Oh! Finally! I hope you’re the supervisor I asked for _only_ about five minutes ago.”

“No no no! You don’t understand me, you have to get inside immediately! Get everyone inside!”

“What are you talking about?”

“They’re out of containment! The birds!” Claire called out to the employee, hoping like hell they’d understand as she went running to the next group of people she hoped she could persuade to move. The employee only looked more lost.

Owen wasn’t having any more luck. It certainly didn’t help that they were covered in mud and other things that looked like mud, but having to argue with guests that they weren’t just trying to get them to vacate the shaded spot they’d planted themselves in without completely freaking them out was a difficult line to toe. From across the crowd, Claire locked eyes with Owen, looking equally as desperate and having gotten no one to move. The sheer amount of people they had to warn, to move, was immense. There was no way they’d have time.

On the horizon, Claire could see the outlines of the birds approaching.

“ _Ladies and Gentlemen, due to a containment anomaly, all guests must take shelter immediately._ ” A calm sounding voice said over the loud speakers. An air raid siren ripped through the air. She locked eyes with Owen once again as the crowd finally got the message, scrambling to their feet as the birds started to descend. Too late.

_Fine fucking effort. Who the hell is running this place?_

Owen forced his way through the throng back to where he’d last seen Claire. People here and there were being snatched up by the beasts. Screams pierced the air around him. Everyone was trying to find shelter somewhere or other. Some never got the chance. Terrifying claws tore through flesh of those unlucky enough to meet them. Teeth snapped and crashed in the air. The woman running beside him was snatched up, screaming.

“What do you mean you’re not using live ammo?” Claire hollered. He saw her, then, with a group of uniformed men assembling with rifles pointed to the sky. They fired, taking down bird after bird. With tranquilizer darts. “You do whatever it takes to take these things out!”

“Who the hell are you?”

“I’m Claire Fucking Dearing!” Claire grabbed a gun, climbing on top of an abandoned bench and firing the gun. She’d taken down three of them before Owen stopped staring at her in amazement and started firing his own rifle.

Claire watched as the birds fell from the sky. Sure, they were hitting their marks, but all they were really doing was sending 60 pound sacks of prehistoric flesh and bone crashing into the frightened crowd. It was while she was distracted that she noticed her- the other tour guide. It was the red hat that caught her attention. The girl with the long dark hair that had been one rotation behind her earlier in the day. The girl was herding two frightened children into a storefront to try to protect them when she was snatched by one of the pterosaurs. Claire was too shocked to do anything, but really there was nothing she could do. If she were to shoot the beast, and hope she didn’t hit the girl with a tranq dart in the process, she would only be dropped to her death. Instead, she was forced to watch as a pair of birds played catch with her body, carting her off before dropping her in the nearby Mosasaurus tank.

Claire had a moment of hope that the girl might yet live when the massive jaw of the Mosasaurus broke the surface of the water and clamped down over the screaming girl. Claire felt the panic attack- didn’t need to think about it. Her whole body suddenly felt like it was on fire and she couldn’t move. Her breathing was painful. It seared her lungs. She couldn’t even remember the name of the girl. She’d worked with her for years. And now she was…dead? How could that happen? And what didn’t help was the memory of Owen, clapping his hands down in front of her face earlier to represent the very same thing happening _as a joke_.

Somehow, still, her mind went to Owen. The thing inside of her doing so much panicking latched onto the thought of Owen, claiming his presence as a source of calm in this storm of anxiety. Sometime between him being the pain in her ass on the tour and them clinging to each other in terror in the jungle, something had changed and she didn’t know what. She wanted to reach out to him, hold onto him, make sure he was there and he was real and most of all that he was safe. She needed that reprieve from this insanity. The panic spiked, realizing he was in just as much danger as the girl.

 _Zara_. That was her name.

When she looked around to find him, he wasn’t in the sea of heads staring down rifles. Instead, she found him on the ground fighting for his life with one of the Dimorphodons. He had it by the throat, holding it as far as he could as its massive toothed jaw snapped, just a hair away from ripping into him. She immediately leapt down from the bench. She bashed it in the head with the butt of her rifle. She put her entire weight into it. It was flung to the side, screeching as it went. She fired four shots into the beast. It settled quickly into silence. Owen was just staring up at her from the ground, hands still raised in defense. She breathed hard. He was safe. For now.

She offered him a hand to help him up when he still didn’t respond. He took it and not once broke eye contact with her. Seamlessly, he placed his hand on her lower back, pulling her in as he placed his mouth onto hers. He certainly wasn’t forcing her, but Claire found herself melting into it. She pressed as close to him as she could get. Her hands were trying to wander, to find a place on his body like his were on her, but they remembered where they were and broke apart. It had lasted a moment, really, and it was over too soon. The mob around them was dispersing and the animals dive bombing the guests began to thin. There was new kind of fire on her now, different from the panic. It was hotter. More consuming. Claire broke eye contact with Owen, even just so she could breathe.

Her eyes fell onto the two kids that Zara had been shepherding to safety.

“It’s them!” Claire screamed, running towards the two boys. “Zach! Gray!”

The boys looked to her, stunned. They seemed to recognize her, which only added to their confusion.

“Ohmygod, Thankgod! Are you okay?” Claire wasn’t sure if she was angry or thankful she’d finally found the boys, or just on edge from the waning panic attack, but she found herself on the verge of tears either way.

“Claire?” Gray asked. “The tour guide?”

“We went after you! Where did you go? Why didn’t you come back?”

“We?” Zach questioned, looking back to where Owen was standing. Claire looked back to him as well, trying to figure out the fastest way to explain what the hell had happened in the last few hours.

“We were working together.”

“Come on. We gotta go.” Owen said, appearing at her back. She grabbed onto the boys and pulled them to the side of the street as the last of the birds came crashing down. One of the ACU men speaking into his radio walked towards them.

“Owen Grady?”

“Who’s asking?”

“Vic Hoskins.” Claire and the two boys looked surprised he’d been identified at all. Claire was suddenly worried they’d gotten in trouble for tromping around behind the fence. “You’re wanted at the Velociraptor Paddock.”

_Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit…_

“What do they want him for?” Gray asked.

“That information is confidential. All I can say is you’ve been personally recommended for a project by the Head Trainer, Barry.”

Owen turned, surprised, to Claire. She felt that fear of losing him again, but less urgent this time.

“We wanna stay with you.” The boys piped up. Claire looked down at them, heart warming.

“Believe me, I just found you, I’m never going to leave you again-”

“No, him.” Zach pointed to Owen. Gray nodded furiously. “We meant him.”

Now it was Claire’s turn to be surprised.

“Well I’m not leaving them.” Claire insisted.

The ACU man sighed, turned to his radio, and relayed the information regarding the delay.

“ _I don’t care who he brings, just get him down here!_ ” A voice crackled over the radio. The ACU man gestured them all forward, towards one of their vehicles. Gray followed happily.

“You mean we’re going to see Velociraptors?”

“I don’t think it’s going to be like that, buddy.” Zach said as they all took their seats. Claire looked him in the eye and just shook her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betcha didn't think you'd already seen Zara, did ya? Back in Chapter 4 at the Gentle Giants Petting Zoo? And look at how it proved to be relevant that Claire and Owen stumbled upon the Raptor Paddock and met Barry last chapter...my evil plan is finally coming together...*evil laugh*
> 
> Anywho...Next chapter we see what the hell Hoskins wants and why Barry asked for him in the first place.
> 
> Visit my [Tumblr](http://www.gwendolyngreene.tumblr.com) for all of my posted works.
> 
> -GG


	11. The Raptor Paddock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire, Owen, and the boys arrive at the Raptor Paddock to be briefed on the plan to recapture the Mystery Rex. Claire's not happy with what she learns.

“Owen, thank you for coming.” Barry approached them, hand extended to Owen. They shook briefly.

“You mind telling me what the hell is going on here?”

“I don’t have much time. Listen, InGen is trying to take over operations here.” Barry looked between Claire and Owen, making sure to keep his voice down, so even the officer supervising the boys ten feet away wouldn’t hear him. “They’re stepping over anybody who isn’t going with their plan; they’ve already dismissed half my team. They’re doing this with or without me and I can’t let them have my Raptors.”

“What about Mr. Masrani? No way he’d go for any of this.” Claire stated, gesturing to the mass of ACU and InGen officers swarming about. Barry looked at her curiously.

“Masrani is dead. He was flying the helicopter that crashed into the Aviary.”

“What” Claire gasped. “Masrani? What- why was he flying-?”

“I told them you could help with the mission, Owen, after our work in the Navy. I’m sorry, but I need someone I can trust on this.”

“No problem. What is this plan they have anyway?”

“You’re never going to believe me when you hear it. Come on, they’re going to brief everyone in the tent.”

At the entrance to the tent, one of the armed guards stopped Claire.

“Authorized personnel only, ma’am.”

“Authorized? I’ve worked at this park for over ten years, I think I’m more than _authorized_.”

“She’s with me.” Barry said to the man, leading them through the entrance to the tent. A large table was set up in the centre of the space, covered in maps and papers and all sorts of paraphernalia. Whatever plan they had, someone must have been working at this for a while to get it ready. Barry pointed to one of the men at the back. “That’s him. Hoskins.” He whispered. Various men milled around the tent, discussing and preparing. Hoskins saw Barry enter and made his way over. “Is this our last party guest? Can we finally get started?” Owen shook the man’s hand.

“Owen Grady. How can I be of service?”

“I’ll tell you how you can be of service- just do whatever I say and don’t get in my way. You’ll be backing this guy up, he’s the one who recruited you. Whatever he needs, you do it. Understand?”

“Honestly, sir? Not one bit. I still don’t know what the hell is going on or what it is that’s out there.”

“Alright, buckle in. All methods for capturing or subduing the hybrid thus far have all failed- what we’re doing here is releasing the assets trained by Barry here to locate and assist recapturing the hybrid.”

“Wait a second, are you telling me you’re using the Raptors?” Owen asked, shocked. “I thought they were locked in that cage for a reason.”

“We’ve been running the Training program for years now. We have more than sufficient reason to believe they’ll be effective at taking the orders necessary to resolve this situation with the Hybrid.”

“Excuse me, sir?” Claire piped up. “You keep saying ‘hybrid’. What exactly does that mean?”

“Who the hell are you?” Hoskins asked.

“Claire Dearing, I’ve worked for this park for over ten years, and if you mean to tell me-”

“Dearing. Yeah, I’ve heard of you. Guest Services and _Touring_. Been running around bossing people around all day? You don’t need to be here. Can I get someone to escort her out?”

“No. Listen up. I’ve been all around this island today. I’ve been chased by whatever the hell you guys set loose on this island and I have witnessed, up close, the devastation it’s caused. Now you’re telling me this is because you guys cooked up a _genetic hybrid_ in your lab?” Claire’s voice was steadily rising. Heads were turning her way in the tent. “You made something you have no idea how to contain or control, that’s going on a murderous rampage on an island packed with people you _still_ haven’t evacuated? And your solution to try to stop it is to let four more carnivores loose? You’re using non-lethals on the animals, you’re giving insufficient information to guests, and in the middle of all this I hear that Simon Masrani was flying a helicopter? With all due respect, the people in charge of this place need to _get a fucking clue._

“I’ve worked at this park for ten years, I know everything there is to know about Operations here, and I think I’m the only person here who has any remaining sanity. Step number one, you need to evacuate guests from this island. Then, once that’s done, then maybe, _maybe_ , you can consider using Raptors to track this thing down. Until that happens, no one here does anything. Do you hear me?” Claire shouted. Her chest was puffed out. She was breathing heavily. All eyes were on her. Silence filled the tent. Some people looked simply stunned she’d managed to get that many words out with the small amount of breath she’d taken in during her tirade. She stared Hoskins down, daring him to respond.

“So, they just kicked you out, huh?” Gray asked Claire on the benches outside.

“Yeah.” Claire said. She turned her head back towards the tent where Owen was still discussing the plan with the other men. Two armed guards stood in front of her, making sure Claire didn’t try anything else. She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders and turned back to the boys. “Why did you two go running off, anyway?”

Zach and Gray looked to each other. “I dunno. There was a hole in the fence, and we hadn’t seen any animals, so I guess we just thought it was a good idea at the time.” Zach explained.

“Why aren’t your parents with you?”

“They’re getting a divorce.” Gray said, almost under his breath.

“Oh.” Claire said. This raised more questions than it answered, but she didn’t much want to disturb such a sensitive subject. The flaps of the tent were pulled back and the men inside spilled out. Owen walked towards them, running his hand worriedly over his face. Claire stood to speak to him.

“So what’s going on?”

“It’s bad.” He breathed. “The Mystery Rex? They call it the _Indominus_.”

Claire thought it over. “That’s a stupid name.”

“So stupid.” Owen agreed. They stood in silence for a second. Everything around them was buzzing with action. Men grabbed and checked their riffles, assembling into groups. Barry and Hoskins stocked towards the entrance to the Raptor Paddock. “They’re gonna put you three onto one of the armored trucks, keep you here until you get the go ahead to get back to safety.”

“And the rest of the guests?”

“I don’t know. It sounds like they tried to arrange evac for everyone, but nothing’s happened yet. Everyone’s on Main Street waiting on the ferry to the mainland. Whatever happens with this Indominus thing, just get back to Main Street and wait with them, okay? You just…get yourself as close to the docks as possible, and get yourself on the first boat out of here.” He grimaced, remembering their earlier interaction.

“And what about you?” Claire asked.

“I’ll get there if I can. Don’t wait on me.” Owen looked to where the team was assembling at the Paddock gate. “I gotta go.” He nodded goodbye to Claire, whose mouth was open, but said nothing. Barry was the first to approach him. He was sweating.

“Listen up, Owen. I can’t stress this enough. Don’t go near my Raptors. Don’t touch my Raptors. Don’t look at my Raptors. Don’t even think about my Raptors. These are no Dolphins, Owen.” Barry said, stressing every word. “I have a quad, or a bike. Which one do you want?”

“I’ll take the bike.” Owen said. Barry slapped him on the arm, walking himself over to the quad. Owen swung his leg over the seat of the bike, getting a feel for it. A safe distance away, Claire and the boys were being loaded into the armored truck, Claire into the cabin so she could drive away if need be. She was looking at him over her shoulder as she went. Under her blanket, she was hiding a tablet she’d swiped from one of the guards.

Behind him, Barry counted down to the release of the Raptors. Owen clenched his fists around the handles of the bike, revving it. His headlight beamed into the darkness ahead.

“Three, two, one…”

The gate was sprung open and the Raptors charged out, the men filing after them at full speed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY! I had to split this up a bit, since the original outline called for all of this plus the actual Indominus hunt in one chapter, so the total chapter count just went up to 15. I'm sorry for leaving this one along for so long!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Next chapter, as you could guess, we hunt down the Indominus!
> 
> -GG


	12. On the Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The raptors turn on the team, and Owen has to make his escape and find Claire again without falling prey to anything currently loose on the island...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! ENJOY!

Owen had seen many things in his lifetime. Even with a stint in the military under his belt, by far the most terrifying sight he’d ever witnessed was the sight of four Velociraptors turning to the side of a T-Rex hybrid whose massive teeth were still stained with blood.

He didn’t even register Barry’s voice as he called out, “The Raptors have a new Alpha!”, or as the men around him scattered as charging raptors broke their ranks. Someone off in the grass screamed. He stared down the barrel of his gun, scanning the ground ahead of him. Fire blazed behind him. He turned just in time to see one of the raptors approach him, claws raised, teeth snarling. Before he could raise his gun to fire at the animal, just as it was about to leap towards him and probably devour him alive, something sailed through the air that blew the raptor to bits.

_One raptor down._

Owen was thrown back, landing hard on the ground. He got his grip around his gun first, trying to orient himself. His head throbbed. He needed to get out of here. Find the motorcycle he’d ridden in on. Hopefully find Barry. Then get back to Claire and the boys. By chance, the bike was only a few yards away and he ran to it. As he swung his leg over it he heard Barry’s voice calling out one of the raptor’s names.

“Blue!” Barry’s voice echoed.

Owen turned, searching for the source of the sound. Chaos was everywhere. Sounds were coming from all around. But across the clearing, with her tell-tale stripe down her side, was the one called Blue. She was standing on top of a log, staring down with one wicked eye. Her claws had ripped through the bark, digging for something inside. He couldn’t see Barry anywhere. But the inside of that log was the perfect place for Barry’s voice to echo from. Owen revved his engine, pulling the animal’s attention to him instead.

“Hey! You!” He called out, ready to ride into the jungle the second that Blue showed sign of movement towards him.

“Owen, no!” Barry called out.

Blue flashed her teeth at Owen. She leapt from the log and chased after him as he ripped through the trees, hoping like hell that he was faster than her. But with every bit of distance he seemed to gain he heard her approach once more. He didn’t need to turn to know the sight behind him. Claws bared. Legs thundering through the brush. Mouth open wide. Ominous red light from the headset they’d strapped to her and the other raptors. The camera inside. _God_ , he hoped Claire wasn’t watching all of this.

From the truck, Claire’s knuckles were white around the edges of the tablet she’d swiped from one of the guards. The video feed played on in front of her, but she was frozen. How far were they from the I-Rex? From the raptors? From Owen? There had to be something she could do, something…

Anything? Could she do anything?

“Is everybody dead?” Gray’s head poked through the open window, his brother’s right beside him. She looked into his innocent, young eyes, and found herself terrified of saying the wrong thing. This was a mistake. All of this had been a mistake. Bringing the boys along was on the top of the mistake list. They should be safe. With the other park guests, sitting under blankets, surrounded by other people and their families. Not here with Claire, surrounded by danger and death.

She remembered the sight of them on Main Street, looking so alone and afraid in that sea of people. Running. Screaming. Birds swooping down on them from the sky. It didn’t matter, she supposed. It didn’t matter where they were or who they were with. Every person on this island was in danger. Nowhere was safe. But as long as she had them inside this med truck she had the best shot out of anybody to keep them safe. And she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to do everything she could to return them home in as close to mint condition as possible.

“No. Everybody is not dead.” Claire said, Owen still on her mind. He was alive. For now, at least. That meant, by definition, _everybody_ was not dead. And for the same strange reason she’d been tagged along beside him this entire damn nightmare, Owen was the one on her mind. She had to find him.

Blue was hot on his tail. Owen swerved to avoid a fallen tree trunk, nearly avoiding collision. He had to find Claire. Find the truck she was in, with the boys. Get them to safety. Keep them there. But first, he had to get rid of Blue. He wondered if she would ever tire of this chase. Or if maybe it only energized her. Barry had described them as hunters. Relentless for their prey. And right now, Owen was Blue’s prey. But he’d also described them as pack animals.

Where were the others? As far as he knew, there were still two more raptors out there, terrorizing someone or other. Were they following Owen, too? Maybe they were keeping their distance, staying in the shadows. The thought terrified him more than the one raptor he knew was right behind him.

Until, that is, when he looked behind him and she wasn’t there anymore. He dropped his speed, checking every direction. Somewhere off in the trees, he heard the distinctive sound of a raptor call off in the jungle. A rustle of bushes, headed straight for the sound, gave him a pretty good idea where his pursuer had gone. He finally slowed to a stop, catching his breath.

He could hear everything in the jungle around him. His head swiveled around wildly, trying to keep tabs on every direction at once. Nothing approached him, dinosaur or otherwise. Where was he supposed to go? Back, to where the Indominus was wandering, but where he’d last seen Barry and the other men? Or forward, since he was likely closer to the main roads to the park at this point? Either way, he had to find Claire.

The last time he’d seen her was behind him at the Raptor Paddock, but after the chaos broke out, she’d probably taken the boys as far away as she could in the truck she’d been loaded into. He didn’t have long to wonder where she might have gone before he heard the rumble of an engine and some very human screams.

_Claire._

Claire had two problems to deal with: both of them had piercing eyes and long claws. The truck bounced down the uneven road as fast as Claire could get it to go. The raptors still gained on her. The smashed driver’s window had been enough of a lesson to not let these things get too close and now one was sneaking up the side of the truck. She swerved hard to the left, crushing the animal against the trunk of a tree. She must have knocked the camera loose. From the corner of her eye, she saw another feed on the tablet go dark. 

_Two raptors down._

Owen roared down the road behind the truck. The back doors were hanging open, swerving from side to side of the road. He had to catch up. If they were in trouble, he had to help. He might be the only one who could help. He took stock of what he had on him. Anything that he could use. He still had his gun strapped to his back, but he couldn’t use that without both hands. It was only after passing both of the fallen raptors on the road he noticed his mistake. Claire could take care of herself. He just had to catch up.

_Three raptors down._

“Owen!” The boys called from the back of the truck, jubilant. The younger one turned through the small window, relaying the information to the driver that Owen had arrived. He sped ahead to the cab of the truck. The glass was smashed but Claire looked relieved to see him.

“Where’s the last one?”

“What?” Claire called out from the truck.

“The last raptor! We’re three down, where’s the fourth?”

“I don’t know! We only saw two!”

Even in the low light, he could tell that neither raptor lying on the road had the blue stripe. Blue was still out there somewhere. And as long as she was, they were in danger. “We have to get indoors!”

“Main Street! It’s just up ahead!”

“Lead the way, tour guide!”

Claire scoffed as Owen fell back behind the truck. “This is the worst tour on the planet!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm trying to find a happy medium between relaying all the action and avoiding a transcription of the original film. There isn't much difference in the events right now so I'm trying to keep it fresh! Hope you liked it!
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are always appreciated.
> 
> -GG


	13. Hunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunited with Owen, Claire has to get the boys to safety and fast...but there's still one Raptor left out there...

Claire brought the truck to a jolt of a stop on Main Street. The boys leapt out from the back and joined her as she ran to Owen’s side. He swung his rifle around, gripping it with both hands. She looked all around her, only now noticing how _open_ they were here. How exposed they were. They were three raptors down, but Blue was still out there somewhere. The Mystery Rex was still out there somewhere.

“Do you still have that tablet?” Owen asked, the waver in his voice barely noticeable.

“It’s in the truck!” Claire called as she ran around the other side to fetch it from the passenger’s seat. Of course. The video feed. They still had Blue’s video feed. At least they would be able to tell where she was- or wasn’t.

She looked at the screen, expecting to see a blur of trees from the last remaining Raptor camera. But it wasn’t trees. It wasn’t anything she recognized, either. It looked like something back at the Raptor paddock, except she couldn’t identify the person standing square in the centre of the animal’s feed. Blue was staring straight at what looked to be a truck…It was only after she saw Owen and the boys round the side of the truck on the screen in front of her that she realized just who was in the crosshairs.

She screamed. She whipped around and dropped the tablet on the ground, shattering the screen. Owen raised his rifle, moving to stand directly in front of Claire and shield her.

“Get back in the truck! Get out of here!” Owen ordered. “I can fend this one off-”

A loud screech to the right cut Owen off, and turned all their attentions to one of the other raptors, closing in on them. Then the third, closing off their last chance of an exit. The ones they’d left on the road must not have been down for the count. The raptors herded them inwards. They kept creeping closer. Too close. Far too close. Owen pivoted sharply, trying to keep cover on the three of them, but found them surrounded and himself unable to protect them from every angle.

_Three raptors left._

Claire gripped the boys tighter. Owen swore under his breath.

“What do we do?” Gray whined, clinging to Claire’s arm she had wrapped around his shoulder. Claire looked to Owen, who could only glance to his side to meet her gaze, still trying in vain to cover them. Each time he swung his rifle to point at one of the raptors , he only exposed them to the other two. The raptors crept forward, inch by inch, and Claire knew Owen wouldn’t be able to protect them. Not alone. She wanted to tell him that, tell him it was okay, that he didn’t have to save them. He’d tried. That had been enough.

It had been enough to change her mind about him. Twelve hours ago, he’d been nothing but a thorn in her side. An adult-sized toddler disrupting her daily routine. But now there was no one she’d rather be standing beside. It had been a day full of hell, and Owen Grady had been there by her side through thick and thin, unfaltering. It was only now that she was seeing this crack in his armor, some realization of his own humanity. He understood. He couldn’t save them. Not alone.

A short, sharp whistle broke through the night air, distracting even the raptors from their prey. Barry stepped forward, no one having noticed him pull up on his quad in all the chaos. He was covered in dirt and sweat and there was a tear in his pants, but he didn’t seem to mind any of it. He had focus on only one thing: his raptors. He stepped in front of Owen, making the man lower his weapon. But Barry didn’t raise his own. He held his gun at his side, pointed downwards. Owen took a half step back and Claire put a hand on his shoulder.

Barry reached forward. Slowly. Tenderly. He whispered to Blue, quietly. “Easy. Easy.” It was only when Blue had allowed him close enough to release the clasp on her headpiece that Claire understood why they hadn’t attacked. 

Owen finally looked at her. He looked just as surprised as she was. And maybe it was just dumb luck that allowed Barry to offer freedom to these vicious hunters, to receive an almost affectionate sounding chirp from them in response, or maybe Barry really did have the kind of connection he’d described with these animals. But he couldn’t have come at a better time. Within a matter of seconds it was all put to the test, and Claire watched with her own eyes as the animals so recently their predators turn to protect them from the Mystery Rex who’d thundered around the corner. But one strong swipe from the Rex and Blue, the first to rise to their defense, was tossed aside.

_Two raptors left._

Barry and Owen each took guard with their rifles, firing shot after shot at the Rex. Zach and Gray cowered in the little hut with Claire, and she tried to comfort them. She tried to think of anything she could do to distract them from the echoing sound of gunfire. She looked up the walls of the souvenir hut, at all the Jurassic World T-Shirts and plush animals, and found her arsenal empty. She couldn’t do anything for these boys.

And by the looks of it, Barry and Owen weren’t of much help to the raptors, either. Claire gripped the window ledge tighter, peeking above the counter as she watched another raptor get tossed aside by the beast and roasted alive on the grill across the road.

_One raptor left._

They had to do something, and fast. The only other things in the hut with her were a staff radio and an emergency kit. But if they didn’t do something about the Mystery Rex fast, there wouldn’t be any need to bandage up their wounds. They would all be dead in a matter of minutes.

Gray was muttering something under his breath. “We need more!” He piped up.

“More what?” Claire asked, turning in desperation to the terrified boys. Only, Gray didn’t seem all that scared any more. And he was definitely holding hands with his brother.

“More teeth.”

More teeth? How could they get more teeth? Everything in this hut was soft and plush…her eyes raked over the shelves of stuffed dinosaurs again. Only this time, they got stuck on the plush version of the T-Rex. It was one of their top selling items year after year, because everyone feared the T-Rex. She’d been at this park the longest of all the animals…she was a Hammond original. Claire knew virtually everything there was to know about the T-Rex. She knew the footprints. She knew the roar. And she knew that it had plenty of teeth.

“What are you going to do?” Zach asked, still clinging to his brother. Claire was steadying herself at the mouth of the hut, radio and flare in hand, and a very, _very_ dangerous plan forming in her head.

“Something crazy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, sorry this took so long. I was honestly trying to think of a way to write this chapter that wasn't "Barry shows up and does what Owen did in the film" but I just couldn't come up with anything else. At least it goes to show, even with an extra gun on the I-Rex it didn't help any in the final battle. Stay tuned for Claire's crazy dangerous plan.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Kudos and comments are always appreciated.
> 
> -GG


	14. Indominus Rex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen tries to protect the boys after Claire goes running off, hopefully to get some sort of help with taking down this menacing beast. Without it, they're already dead.

There was no way Claire would just abandon the boys like that. Owen knew that after the day they’d had, trying to rescue these boys and get them to some semblance of safety, that she wouldn’t just leave them now. Would she?

The fact was, all he saw was her running down Main Street, leaving the boys behind in the shack they were using for cover, without telling anyone where she was going. But he had to trust she was going for help. Although, who was left on this island that could offer them help was beyond him. 

Barry ran out of bullets first. Owen signalled for him to go, using the last of his own to provide him with cover as he ran for his quad to look for more. But just as Owen’s gun clicked empty, the Indominus bit down into the last remaining raptor, tossing it aside and swiping Barry’s quad with its tail in one motion. Barry careened to a stop, diving for cover inside a shop on the other side of the street. Owen could only hope Claire could find help and come back with it soon, because the little souvenir hut he joined Zach and Gray in didn’t seem to offer much protection.

Claire fumbled with the buttons on the radio, tuning it to what she hoped was the control room. “Is anyone still there?” She called, still running down the side alley.

“Yeah, who is this?” Crackled a familiar voice from the other end.

“This is Claire Dearing!” She said as she skidded to a stop at her destination. “I don’t know who’s in charge over there right now, but I need you to listen to me! I need you to open Paddock Nine!”

“Aw, Jesus Christ, Dearing. I thought I transferred out of Touring to get away from you. What the hell are you doing now?”

She knew she recognized that voice. “Damn it, Lowery, just do what I say!”

The Indominus was still roaring, reminding her of the need to hurry.

“No! No way, you don’t get to boss me around anymore.” Lowery said. “What do you even want Paddock Nine open for, anyway?”

“In case you missed the memo, there is a giant carnivorous beast loose on Main Street right now and we have an entire island full of people to protect!” She screamed into the radio. She knew the guests gathered at the docks were far enough away that they weren’t in any immediate danger, but they could undoubtedly hear the sounds of the battle. It was Owen and the boys she was more concerned about. At some point the Indominus would set her sights back on them, and she wasn’t sure how long the raptors could hold her off. She needed this Paddock open. Now. 

Lowery had always been a cowering little shit, even when he’d worked with her in Guest Services. She wasn’t sure how someone with his level of technical know-how ended up on her team in the first place, but she was glad he’d gotten a transfer before she tore his head off for going off-tour one more God damn time. He never let her forget that she wasn’t actually the boss, and refused to take orders from her. But that was going to change. Right here, right now.

“Damnit, Lowery! Just be a man and do something for once in your life!”

Indeed, she made it personal. But at least he finally did as she said. She ditched the radio and lit the flare as the giant door began to open. She took a deep breath in and had to force it back out. It was only as she was staring into the eyes of the T-Rex with no screen or cage in the way that she felt herself fill with something that almost resembled calm. She could still feel her heart hammering in her chest, and every breath felt like fire in her lungs, but as the ground shook closer she felt a kind of lightness in her limbs. She had only one shot at this. She couldn’t mess it up.

Owen covered his head as the entire hut shook. The beast pulled its arm from the gaping hole, attention suddenly turned by what he could only assume was the source of the new, different reverberating roar. He scrambled to the window. He’d been to the T-Rex feeding show earlier in the day. He’d seen the old girl lumber through her habitat, enticed to her meal by a lit flare. Which was why, he was sure, Claire was holding one in hand as she charged back onto Main Street. He knew instantly what she was doing and yet still found himself surprised when the T-Rex emerged from the alleyway, only a few dangerous steps behind Claire. At the last second she threw the flare, and the T-Rex’s attention, to the Indominus.

In all his years. Claire collapsed to the ground, barely clearing the footprint of the T-Rex as the two massive animals surveyed each other. He was sure the T-Rex’s kingdom must not be far from where they were, because there was no way Claire had managed to out run the animal if it had the chance to pick up speed. Something that big needed some space to reach the kind of run he knew this thing was capable of. Any further and she wouldn’t have made it. What was she thinking? In all his years, he’d never seen such a stupidly dangerous plan work out so completely…

Claire was crawling to get out of the way as a war was waged above her, massive feet smashing down on the ground around her. He nearly jumped out of the hut to help her before remembering the boys he was protecting. He was so focussed on Claire, and making sure she got out of the way, that he hadn’t noticed the battle was nearing their damaged hut. It was only when Claire screamed for them to run he got the signal to his legs to do anything at all.

Owen and the boys were only seconds free from the small building when the T-Rex’s massive head collapsed the entire structure. He pushed the boys ahead of him, sprinting towards Claire and her makeshift hideout. She reached out her hand, pulling the boys down beside her before latching onto Owen. He crashed down beside her, eyes wide, and refused to let go. His hand wrapped around her entire wrist. This time, she was pretty sure Owen was the one who was shaking. His mouth opened and closed, groping for words. She nodded in response.

The Indominus reared, going in for the kill on their last hope. Claire reached to hold the boys closer, leaving her other hand safe in Owen’s protection.

It was Blue who returned to save the day.

It was Blue who gave the upper hand of the battle back to the older Rex, before working together to bring the monster down once more, bloodied and beaten and body imbedded with the debris and rubble of the buildings around them.

But Blue wasn’t enough. From their refuge, Claire and Owen held the boys back as the Indominus got up once more, yet undefeated. She stepped on the broken remains of the fence around the show pool, just one more piece of rubble crushed under her colossal feet. Even the raptors couldn’t bring her down. Even the T-Rex fell under her might. And both together couldn’t do much more than keep her momentarily at bay. Those were the two most powerful allies they had. And if they couldn’t beat this titan, then there was nothing on the surface of this island that could take the Indominus down.

Claire’s grip on Owen’s hand intensified, listening to the last roar of the Rex before the open jaw of the Mosasaur breached the surface of the pool, leaping effortlessly onto the pathway and clamping down around the Indominus’ neck. Its roar turned to a strangled cry. The Mosasaur writhed, slipping back into the depths of the black water and dragging the Indominus down with it.

Everyone stood in shock. Owen’s grip finally slackened, releasing Claire’s hand. Still stunned, he clapped his hands down in front of him, snapping his arms shut like the jaws of the Mosasaur, dumbfounded that his earlier joke had become a prediction come true. Claire stared blankly at his hands.

Did they just win? By the time they’d turned back to Main Street, the T-Rex had lumbered off again, and Barry was emerging on the other side of the street, watching Blue run down the other way, calling out for her fallen sisters.

They strode carefully over the rubble in the middle of the road, looking up and down at all the smoke and destruction around them. The entire park, fallen in just one day. An entire empire, fallen by one beast. This didn’t feel like winning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE'RE ALMOST DONE, GUYS! What did you think? Again, I tried to skip over the really action-packed bits since they didn't change from the film, so I hope you still liked it. Let me know what you thought in the comments! Kudos are always appreciated.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! Next chapter, Claire and Owen finally get to return the two lost boys to their parents. But what next?
> 
> -GG


	15. Survival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tour is over. Now Claire just has to figure out...what does she do now?

The air was cleaner here. The warehouse was stuffy, with all of the people packed inside it like sardines. But it was clear of smoke and the threat of looming danger. They were safe. First aid staff moved around to help all of the injured that had been evacuated. Some people had bags or backpacks with them. A few wheeled strollers. Most had escaped with nothing at all.

Gray was asleep in Claire’s lap. Or, at least, he was pretending to be. When they’d first arrived he’d been looking all over for his parents, but hours had passed and his hopes were waning. They had only to wait. Zach was sitting with his back to Claire, and she had no idea what he was doing. But whenever she dared look over her shoulder at him, he only stared forward with empty eyes.

She’d lost track of Owen. He’d jumped at the chance to help the survivors, doing anything from first aid to locating family members within the crowd. The beginning of families arriving trickled slowly at first, but now there was a steady stream of people entering the warehouse to search for their loved ones. Whether it was people flying in to Costa Rica or survivors that had been evacuated to a different area, people were all over and nobody knew where anyone was. Some families were greeted with warm hugs and a thankful reunion, and Claire tried to focus on those every time another family left the warehouse in devastated tears.

Claire’s hand was sitting against Gray’s shoulder, and she suddenly felt his fingers close around it. She looked down to find his eyes wide open and filled with tears.

“Do you think they’re coming?” Gray said.

“Of course.” Claire was trying to keep face. “Why wouldn’t they?”

“They dumped us here. So they could get a divorce.” Gray sniffled.

Zach turned to face his brother. She was surprised to see him move, let alone speak. Gray sat up to face him and his brother lightly punched him on the arm.

“They did not dump us here. And they’re coming back to get us.” He stated plainly.

“How do you know?” Gray asked.

“Because they’re our parents. They’re not just going to leave us.”

“They already did.”

The boys fell silent. Then Zach looked into Gray’s eyes and promised, “They love us. And if you love someone, you don’t leave them behind.”

Gray wiped his eyes. “But what if they can’t get here right away? What if we have to spend the night here? Where are we going to sleep? How are they going to contact us? You dropped your phone back there!”

“Hey!” Zach said, cutting Gray off. “We’ll figure it out, okay? Together. I’m not leaving you.”

Gray thought for a moment on his brother’s words. “Because you love me?”

“Shut up.” Zach said, moving to punch his brother again, but Gray was too quick. He dodged him and ducked under his arm to wrap him in a hug. Zach only waited a second before wrapping his arms around his younger brother to return it.

Moustache Dad passed by them, four water bottles in hand. Claire followed him with her eyes, finding where his family had been set up. Mom’s camera was nowhere to be seen, but the boy had discarded his T-Rex hat on the ground and didn’t seem to care as he huddled in the arms of his grandfather, both straw hat and wooden cane missing.

She couldn’t help but notice all the little things that had changed, all the little things that were now missing since their tour that morning. When they’d first entered the building Claire couldn’t help but notice that Daydreaming Teenager had lost her backpack, and was left with only her mother’s souvenir cup to sob into. Her mother was nowhere to be seen.

Claire turned back to the two boys as they pulled apart from their embrace. Gray’s face was still streaked with tears. Claire was struggling. What could she possibly say to these boys, these relative strangers who had the misfortune to end up in her custody on quite possibly the worst day of their lives, when she knew nothing about them? She didn’t even know where they were from- or how long it would take for their parents to arrive. She could only imagine the congestion of people trying to either get to Costa Rica to check on loved ones or trying to get the hell out of here as soon as they could. What if the boys’ parents _couldn’t_ get here soon?

Claire was lost for words. She wished none of the events of yesterday had ever happened, and they could all be those perfect innocent strangers they once were. Zach, paying more attention to girls than he did his brother, and Gray, nose too deep in his guidebooks to notice.

“Gray,” Claire asked once the lightbulb went off in her head, “did you ever see a Stegosaurus?”

Gray sniffled. “Yeah. Why?”

“Well, did you count the plates on her back?”

Gray looked at her, confused. Then his eyes lit up; some of that contagious energy she’d seen before return to his face. “Yeah! Seventeen! Just like my book said!”

Claire smiled. “Seventeen.”

“Seventeen.” Gray smiled back. Zach ruffled his hair, grinning. Then he locked eyes on something in the crowd.

“Mom! Dad!” Zach called, jumping to his feet. Gray whipped his head around, eyes landing on the couple approaching them in tears. The boys took off, colliding with their parents in a hug. Claire rose to her feet, attempting to straighten the tatters of her skirt. There was something familiar about the man hugging Zach, the dark hair and the square jaw. But she couldn’t place where she knew him until she landed eyes on the mother as she moved in to embrace her eldest son.

“Oh my God, are you okay?” She asked her sons, checking them over through teary eyes.

“We’re fine.” Gray nodded. “Claire took really good care of us.”

“We probably wouldn’t be here without her.” Zach added as his mother turned to take in the stranger. She stopped in her tracks at the sight of Claire.

“Karen?” Claire asked. “And Scott? Scott Mitchell? From High School?”

Karen’s eyes widened in shock. “Wait, you know each other?” Zach asked. Both of the women nodded.

“Were you guys friends in high school?” Gray asked innocently. Claire diverted her gaze to the boy’s curious eyes. No one responded. Claire gripped the blanket around her shoulders tighter, wrapping herself into it and staring at the ground. 

Soon the silence turned deadly, and to break it Claire offered a simple “No.”

Karen sucked in a breath. She stepped forward. Claire instinctively flinched backward, but wasn’t fast enough to avoid Karen’s arms wrapping around her in a hug.

“Thank you.” Karen offered, quietly. “Thank you for my sons.”

The women pulled apart and the family reunited once more. Scott held her gaze only for a moment long enough to nod his thanks at her before returning to his family. Claire promised Gray that she was fine, and answered yes both times he checked that she was _really_ sure. There were no more belongings to collect, no things forgotten they could ever retrieve, and they bid their goodbyes. Claire waved at the boys as they turned to go, plastering on a smile to do so.

_Mission complete._

Now what?

What exactly was step two? Where was she supposed to go now that there was no home to go to? Everything she’d known for the last decade was gone. And now it all seemed like some elaborate dream, a ridiculous set up to the world’s worst punch line. And as always, the joke was on her. She had nowhere to go and no one waiting to find her. She didn’t have any family coming. No safety net to fall into.

She looked around the warehouse. As long as she was here, she might as well make herself useful like Owen had. Surely there were things that needed doing, and people that needed helping. Something for her to do. But her eyes landed on Owen across the room, looking just as confused and aimless as she felt. When he saw her, he smiled. Something flipped inside of Claire then, like a light switch or a box of butterflies. 

He stepped forward in silence, meeting her in the middle of the room. She came to a stop just feet in front of him but he closed the distance even more. She looked at him with no idea of what they should do. Or even what she wanted to do. Her job was done. The tour was over and she had no idea what was coming next.

“So what do we do now?” She asked.

“Probably stick together,” Owen said, “for survival.”

Claire smiled. Owen turned, and without waiting for her response, started towards the warehouse doors. She followed him at his side, turning to look at him just as he did the same. She hoped at that moment she wasn’t blushing nearly as much as she felt she was. She had no idea what was in store for her now. But walking beside her, Owen’s presence seemed to make it all just a bit better.

His presence was also probably the reason she didn’t flip out when they discovered nearly all of the hotels in the area were booked solid. There were simply too many people to accommodate now that the island was emptied of its thousands of visitors. But the company was doing their part, and had made rooms available at a nearby resort for displaced employees. It was under renovation, and many of the rooms were in some level of disrepair, but it was a bed and a roof and Claire couldn’t find the energy to complain about it. 

The first thing she wanted to do was collapse. But she was still buzzing with a restless energy that wouldn’t let her sit, let alone lay down. And the longer that time went on the more Owen’s presence seemed to close in on her. Once they were within the confines of their room and the relative lack of space just elevated all of it.

She wanted to touch him. _Oh God, was that wrong?_ She didn’t, of course, but the thought entered her mind every time he came near enough for her to reach him.

“Are you okay?” He asked, unbundling the blanket from around her shoulders as she stepped out of her heels for the first time in far too many hours.

“I’m fine.” She winced, finding that, yes, she was basically walking on blisters now. Owen studied her face, analyzing her reaction and weighing it against her words. He was far too close to her and she didn’t have enough energy in her to deal with it. “I think what we have to worry about more is that bed…and the fact that there’s only one of it.” She wobbled as she peeled off her second shoe and Owen offered his arm to steady her. She instinctively took it, and regretted it almost immediately. She’d had her hands on him before, obviously, but never like this. He was strong. And he had muscles like she couldn’t believe. “Although at this point that might not be so much of a problem…”

Owen huffed. He turned away from her, pulling his arm back. “Is this a joke to you, Claire?”

Claire stopped. She looked at Owen. Where was this coming from?

“Is this all a joke to you?” Owen was fighting back a grin. “Because in the one day I’ve known you, ever since I made that first sexual innuendo about steak…” Now Claire was fighting back a smile. “You haven’t been able to peel yourself off of me! So make all the jokes about beds you want, Claire, but if you want to have sex with me…just ask!”

Owen backed up towards the bed, holding his hands in the air, waiting for a response to his cheeky offer. Claire gaped with partially feigned indignation.

“Owen Grady! I have been through hell and back today! I am exhausted, my feet are beyond sore, we are both covered in mud _and other things that look like mud_ …” Claire shuddered. “And I am not having _sex_ with you-!”

“But-” Owen tried, but she cuts him off.

“Until we both have a shower!” Claire flung her arm out, pointing one finger at the wall that separated them from what she assumed to be the bathroom. _Did she really just say that?_

Owen didn’t even skip a beat. He took one look at the bathroom door. “Or we could do it in the shower?” He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her response.

She hesitated.

She has no idea what waits for her behind that door.

But she’s pretty sure she wants to find out with Owen.

She takes a breath.

“How big is the shower?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THAT WAS ONE HELL OF A RIDE GUYS
> 
> Never thought I'd be working on this fic as long as I have. I'm pretty sure I switched tenses somewhere about ten chapters back...and probably had some "brilliant" ideas that I completely forgot about when I got around to the later chapters...but I did it! Thank you for reading this, my longest plot fic yet!
> 
> Were you excited to see the reappearance of the other members of the tour party? Do you kind of hate me now? Surprised by the relationship between Claire and Karen in this AU? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS! Do you think the shower was big enough? I GUESS WE'LL NEVER KNOW.
> 
> Thanks for reading and sticking with me! *hugs and kisses*  
> -GG


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